CIA chief secretly met Taliban leader as Biden faces pressure over Afghan evacuation deadline
Facing growing pressure over his looming deadline to leave Afghanistan, President Joe Biden dispatched his spy chief to meet with the Taliban’s de facto leader, according to a senior diplomat in the region and another source familiar with the matter.
CIA Director William Burns held a secret meeting with Taliban co-founder and political leader Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday, the sources said. The meeting was first reported by the Washington Post.
The news comes as Biden is set to decide whether to extend his deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw in the wake of the militant group's rapid takeover.