Afghan President Ghani meets visiting US secretary of state

KABUL - Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met with visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Monday on matters of mutual interests, the Presidential Palace said.

At the meeting also attended by senior Afghan officials including Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, matters relating situation in Afghanistan, Afghan peace process, bilateral relations, regional cooperation and the war on terror were discussed, the palace said in a statement.

"The Secretary of State stated at the meeting that the new US strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia makes clear the United States' commitment to work with the government of Afghanistan and with its partners in the region to achieve peace in Afghanistan," it added.

Welcoming Tillerson, who is on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, President Ghani noted that all the partners should cooperate to stabilize peace and security in the region.

In his strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia announced in August, US President Donald Trump termed Taliban as terrorist group and vowed to mount pressure on the armed outfit and its supporters, besides increasing the number of troops to Afghanistan.

This is the first visit of Tillerson to Afghanistan as secretary of state amid increasing militancy in the country. The Taliban and Islamic State offensives have killed 150 people and injured more than 200 others over the past week.