U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Milley meets with Taliban on peace talks

The United States’ top general held unannounced talks this week with Taliban negotiators in the Persian Gulf to try to curb the violence across Afghanistan.

Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met Tuesday with Taliban negotiators in Qatar, then flew Wednesday to Kabul to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, according to the Associated Press. 

The meetings took place as senior U.S. officials in Kabul warned that increasing Taliban attacks jeopardize the militant group’s peace negotiations with the Afghan government. 

"The most important part of the discussions that I had with both the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan was the need for an immediate reduction in violence," Milley told reporters who accompanied him to Qatar and Afghanistan. "Everything else hinges on that."