WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2019) White House National Security Adviser John Bolton has been kept out of any discussions related to the ongoing US-Taliban negotiations because his opposition to diplomacy has irritated President Donald Trump, US media reported.
Bolton has called for an expanded military presence in Afghanistan and also opposes Trump's efforts to negotiate with North Korea and any potential engagement with Iran, the Washington Post said on Friday citing unnamed officials.
The ninth round of talks between the United States and the Taliban movement in the Qatari capital of Doha entered its eighth day on Thursday. The parties have been negotiating a potential deal that calls for the extraction of US forces in exchange for Taliban counterterror assurances.
Earlier, Trump told reporters that US-Taliban negotiations were going well but no deal has been reached "yet."
On Thursday, Trump said the United States will leave 8,600 troops in Afghanistan regardless the outcome of the talks.
