Visit comes after a rocket attack that struck densely populated areas of Kabul, killing at least eight people on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban on Saturday amid signs of progress in their talks as the United States speeds up its withdrawal.
Pompeo met Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, and the foreign minister on his stop in the capital Doha, the Taliban’s base for diplomacy.
Pompeo’s visit comes in the wake of a rocket attack which struck densely populated areas of Kabul, killing at least eight people in the latest outbreak of violence in the Afghan capital. The Taliban denied responsibility and no group has claimed the attacks.
The State Department said late on Friday Pompeo will meet separately with the Afghan government and Taliban negotiation teams in Qatar.
The outgoing top US diplomat is on a seven-nation tour of Europe and the Middle East as President Donald Trump shores up late-term priorities.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it would soon pull some 2,000 troops out of Afghanistan, speeding up the timeline established in a February agreement between Washington and the Taliban that envisions a full US withdrawal in mid-2021.
Police stand guard after rockets hit residential areas in Kabul on Saturday [Omar Sobhani/Reuters]Breakthrough?
The Taliban are speaking to Afghanistan’s government for the first time.
The talks started on September 12 in Doha but almost immediately faltered over disagreements about the agenda, the basic framework of discussions and religious interpretations.
Several sources told the AFP news agency on Friday the two sides appear to have resolved some of the issues, however.
Among the sticking points so far, the Taliban and the Afghan government have struggled to agree on common language on two main issues.
The Taliban are insisting on adherence to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, but government negotiators say this could be used to discriminate against Hazaras, who are predominantly Shia, and other minorities.
Another contentious topic is how the US-Taliban deal will shape a future Afghan peace deal and how it will be referred to.
The Doha peace talks opened after the Taliban and Washington signed a deal in February, with the US agreeing to withdraw all foreign forces in exchange for security guarantees and a Taliban promise to start talks.
Despite the talks, violence has surged across Afghanistan, with the Taliban stepping up daily attacks against Afghan security forces.
Trump’s plan to slash troops by January 15 – less than a week before his successor Joe Biden is to be sworn in to office – has been criticised by Kabul residents who fear it will embolden the Taliban to unleash a new wave of fighting.
Afghan civilians have long borne the brunt of the bloodshed.
Officials in Kabul also worry it will harden the Taliban position at the negotiating table, where the future of hard-won gains including women’s rights is on the line.
Pompeo is expected to brief the Arab allies on US deliberations on whether to label the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in war-ravaged Yemen as a “terrorist” group.
Speculation has also grown of more dramatic action against Iran, with The New York Times reporting that Trump after the election mulled a military attack over its nuclear programme, which has grown since Trump withdrew from a denuclearisation accord.
