U.S. conducts airstrike against Taliban hours after Trump speaks with militant group leaders

Just hours after President Trump spoke over the phone with one of the leaders of the Taliban about brokering peace in Afghanistan, the United States military conducted an airstrike Wednesday against the militant group.

This past Saturday a peace deal was signed in Doha, Qatar by the United States and the Taliban to begin the process of withdrawing U.S. troops from the region.

The deal signing followed a seven-day reduction in violence. However, as soon as that time lapsed, the Taliban resumed launching attacks on Afghan forces across the country.

On Tuesday, the Taliban conducted 43 attacks on Afghan army checkpoints in the Helmand province. Since Monday, the Taliban have been responsible for the deaths of 20 members of the Afghan forces.

The Afghans and the U.S. have complied with the recently-signed agreement, while the Taliban “appear intent on squandering this opportunity and ignoring the will of the people for peace,” said U.S. military spokesman Sonny Leggett.

President Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo are still hopeful that progress can be made on the peace front. Pompeo believes the Doha agreement is “the best opportunity for peace in a generation.”

The Doha agreement is meant to create a path forward for direct negotiations between Afghan leaders and Taliban officials. However, the Taliban leadership and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani are presently at a stalemate, both having recently et conditions that neither wish to meet.