Notorious for leaks and chastened by previous security lapses, the White House went to unusual lengths to keep President Donald Trump's Thanksgiving trip to Afghanistan under wraps, devising a cover story for his movements that included posting scripted tweets while he was in the air, administration officials said.

On Thursday, Trump dropped in unannounced on troops at Afghanistan's Bagram military airbase in his first trip to the country and only his second to a war zone during his presidency. He served soldiers a turkey dinner and posed for selfies, before telling reporters that the United States and Taliban hoped to resume peace talks.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the 33-hour roundtrip, which White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said had been weeks in the making, was the administration's success in keeping it secret until shortly before the president left Afghanistan to return home.

Frequently wrong-footed by leaks and Trump's freewheeling use of Twitter, the White House informed only a tight circle of officials about the trip.

On Tuesday, Trump travelled to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as scheduled, accompanied by the regular caravan of reporters which follows the president on all trips.

When those journalists waited for him to emerge for a Thursday afternoon conference call with the troops, per his official schedule, they learnt that overnight he had flown the 13,400 km (8,331 miles) to Afghanistan to visit them in person.

"It is a dangerous area and he wants to support the troops," Grisham told a small group of correspondents aboard Air Force One on Wednesday evening, explaining why the White House had concealed Trump's true movements.

Only hours before, that second group of reporters had secretly gathered at a parking lot near the Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, a regular departure spot for Trump, from which they were driven in minivans into the complex.

They had been told ahead of time that Trump would be travelling incognito to an undisclosed location.

Once inside the base, all smartphones and any devices that could send a signal were confiscated and not returned until at least two hours after Trump's arrival at Bagram, the largest US base in Afghanistan.

Throughout the 13-hour flight, nobody on board Air Force One had access to their phones, including White House staff, Grisham said. The cabin lights were mostly switched off and window blinds stayed shut.

Last Christmas, en route to a troop visit in Iraq, Air Force One was identified above England by a plane spotter who tweeted a photo of its distinctive turquoise livery, sparking a social media storm. Many speculated then that Trump was on his way to a war zone, pointing to his unusually quiet Twitter account, which had sent dozens of tweets the day before.

This time, Grisham said the White House made arrangements to ensure continuity in the president's Twitter account, which posted happy Thanksgiving tweets as he was in the air, including one thanking the military.

"We just had a nice Thanksgiving dinner," Trump said amid chants of "U-S-A" during his speech at the Bagram base.

"I thought I was going to be doing it someplace else."

Notorious for leaks and chastened by previous security lapses, the White House went to unusual lengths to keep President Donald Trump's Thanksgiving trip to Afghanistan under wraps, devising a cover story for his movements that included posting scripted tweets while he was in the air, administration officials said.

Notorious for leaks and chastened by previous security lapses, the White House went to unusual lengths to keep President Donald Trump's Thanksgiving trip to Afghanistan under wraps, devising a cover story for his movements that included posting scripted tweets while he was in the air, administration officials said. On Thursday, Trump dropped in unannounced on troops at Afghanistan's Bagram military airbase in his first trip to the country and only his second to a war zone during his presidency. He served soldiers a turkey dinner and posed for selfies, before telling reporters that the United States and Taliban hoped to resume peace talks. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the 33-hour roundtrip, which White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said had been weeks in the making, was the administration's success in keeping it secret until shortly before the president left Afghanistan to return home. Frequently wrong-footed by leaks and Trump's freewheeling use of Twitter, the White House informed only a tight circle of officials about the trip. On Tuesday, Trump travelled to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as scheduled, accompanied by the regular caravan of reporters which follows the president on all trips. When those journalists waited for him to emerge for a Thursday afternoon conference call with the troops, per his official schedule, they learnt that overnight he had flown the 13,400 km (8,331 miles) to Afghanistan to visit them in person. "It is a dangerous area and he wants to support the troops," Grisham told a small group of correspondents aboard Air Force One on Wednesday evening, explaining why the White House had concealed Trump's true movements. Only hours before, that second group of reporters had secretly gathered at a parking lot near the Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, a regular departure spot for Trump, from which they were driven in minivans into the complex. They had been told ahead of time that Trump would be travelling incognito to an undisclosed location. Once inside the base, all smartphones and any devices that could send a signal were confiscated and not returned until at least two hours after Trump's arrival at Bagram, the largest US base in Afghanistan. Throughout the 13-hour flight, nobody on board Air Force One had access to their phones, including White House staff, Grisham said. The cabin lights were mostly switched off and window blinds stayed shut. Last Christmas, en route to a troop visit in Iraq, Air Force One was identified above England by a plane spotter who tweeted a photo of its distinctive turquoise livery, sparking a social media storm. Many speculated then that Trump was on his way to a war zone, pointing to his unusually quiet Twitter account, which had sent dozens of tweets the day before. This time, Grisham said the White House made arrangements to ensure continuity in the president's Twitter account, which posted happy Thanksgiving tweets as he was in the air, including one thanking the military. "We just had a nice Thanksgiving dinner," Trump said amid chants of "U-S-A" during his speech at the Bagram base. "I thought I was going to be doing it someplace else."

No phones, scripted tweets:  How Trump's Afghanistan trip was kept under wraps

The Taliban said on Friday they were ready to restart <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-trumps-statement-taliban-say-way-too-early-to-speak-of-resuming-talks-with-us-265242">peace talks with the United States</a>, a day after President Donald Trump visited US troops in Afghanistan and said he believed the radical group would agree to a ceasefire.

Trump's surprise Thanksgiving Day visit was his first to Afghanistan since becoming president and came a week after a prisoner swap between Washington and Kabul that raised hopes for a long-elusive peace deal to end the 18-year war.

"The Taliban wants to make a deal and we are meeting with them," Trump told reporters after arriving in Afghanistan on Thursday.

"We say it has to be a ceasefire and they didn't want to do a ceasefire and now they want to do a ceasefire, I believe. It will probably work out that way," he said.

Trump cancelled peace negotiations in September after the militant group claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul that killed 12 people, including an American soldier.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist insurgent group, said on Friday they were "ready to restart the talks".

"Our stance is still the same. If peace talks start, it will be resumed from the stage where it had stopped," Mujahid told Reuters.

Taliban leaders have told Reuters that the group has been holding meetings with senior US officials in Doha since last weekend, adding they could soon resume formal peace talks.

"We are hoping that Trump's visit to Afghanistan will prove that he is serious to start talks again. We don't think he has not much of a choice," said a senior Taliban commander on conditions of anonymity.

Trump did not answer reporters' questions when he returned on Friday morning to Florida, where he is spending the US Thanksgiving holiday weekend away from Washington.

There are currently about 13,000 US forces as well as thousands of other NATO troops in Afghanistan, 18 years after a US-led coalition invaded the country following September&nbsp;11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

About 2,400 US service members have been killed in the course of the Afghan conflict.

A draft accord agreed in September would have thousands of American troops withdrawn in exchange for guarantees that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militant attacks on the United States or its allies.

Still, many US officials doubt the Taliban could be relied upon to prevent al Qaeda from again plotting attacks against the United States from Afghan soil.

(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Humeyra Pamuk and&nbsp;

The Taliban said on Friday they were ready to restart peace talks with the United States, a day after President Donald Trump visited US troops in Afghanistan and said he believed the radical group would agree to a ceasefire.

The Taliban said on Friday they were ready to restart peace talks with the United States, a day after President Donald Trump visited US troops in Afghanistan and said he believed the radical group would agree to a ceasefire. Trump's surprise Thanksgiving Day visit was his first to Afghanistan since becoming president and came a week after a prisoner swap between Washington and Kabul that raised hopes for a long-elusive peace deal to end the 18-year war. "The Taliban wants to make a deal and we are meeting with them," Trump told reporters after arriving in Afghanistan on Thursday. "We say it has to be a ceasefire and they didn't want to do a ceasefire and now they want to do a ceasefire, I believe. It will probably work out that way," he said. Trump cancelled peace negotiations in September after the militant group claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul that killed 12 people, including an American soldier. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist insurgent group, said on Friday they were "ready to restart the talks". "Our stance is still the same. If peace talks start, it will be resumed from the stage where it had stopped," Mujahid told Reuters. Taliban leaders have told Reuters that the group has been holding meetings with senior US officials in Doha since last weekend, adding they could soon resume formal peace talks. "We are hoping that Trump's visit to Afghanistan will prove that he is serious to start talks again. We don't think he has not much of a choice," said a senior Taliban commander on conditions of anonymity. Trump did not answer reporters' questions when he returned on Friday morning to Florida, where he is spending the US Thanksgiving holiday weekend away from Washington. There are currently about 13,000 US forces as well as thousands of other NATO troops in Afghanistan, 18 years after a US-led coalition invaded the country following September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States. About 2,400 US service members have been killed in the course of the Afghan conflict. A draft accord agreed in September would have thousands of American troops withdrawn in exchange for guarantees that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militant attacks on the United States or its allies. Still, many US officials doubt the Taliban could be relied upon to prevent al Qaeda from again plotting attacks against the United States from Afghan soil. (Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Humeyra Pamuk and

After Trump's surprise visit to Afghanistan, Taliban say they are ready to resume peace talks

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No phones, scripted tweets: How Trump's Afghanistan trip was kept under wraps

After Trump's surprise visit to Afghanistan, Taliban say they are ready to resume peace talks