Clinton in Afghanistan for Talks on Ending War

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to discuss peace talks and the security transition in Afghanistan when she meets Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials on Thursday.

Clinton arrived in Kabul late Wednesday on an unannounced visit. 

U.S. officials say that during talks Thursday, the secretary will press for a binding strategic agreement between Afghanistan and the U.S. that will govern relations after 2015 when American troops are scheduled to return home. 

Clinton also will preview plans for upcoming conferences on the future of Afghanistan to be held in Istanbul in November and Bonn, Germany in December.

She also is expected to discuss ties between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. Both U.S. and Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of supporting insurgent groups in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

The Afghan government's peace talks with the Taliban have stalled since last month's killing of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who had led President Karzai's outreach to the insurgents as head of the High Peace Council.

A suicide bomber posing as a Taliban emissary killed Rabbani at his home in Kabul September 20. --- VOA News