Ahead of a White House meeting with United Nations Security Council members, President Donald Trump denounced the Taliban militant group in Afghanistan, saying, "There's no talking to the Taliban, we don't want to talk to the Taliban, we're going to finish what we have to finish."
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for two recent deadly attacks in Kabul. On Saturday, an ambulance bomb in the city center killed more than 100 people. Just over earlier another attack on the Hotel Intercontinental, also in Kabul, killed more than 20.
The United States has stepped up its assistance to Afghan security forces and its air strikes against the Taliban and other militant groups, aiming to break a stalemate and force the insurgents to the negotiating table.