The head of the Pentagon arrives in Afghanistan

As sources inform, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kabul, and he is expected to meet with senior Afghan officials.
President Ghani met with the US Secretary of Defense on Sunday afternoon, the presidential palace says in a statement, adding that both expressed concern about the growing violence in the country.
Ghani and the US Secretary of Defense stressed that a lasting and just peace is the main solution to the current situation in Afghanistan. Mr. Austin noted that the United States supports Afghanistan in this regard.
The trip was held after he visited India, where he and his Indian counterpart pledged to expand their military involvement, highlighting the strengthening of defense ties between the two countries worried about China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific, the Associated Press reported.
The trip is made at a time when the US is considering the Doha agreement with the Taliban, while keeping all options open when it comes to the May 1 deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
Citing two sources, NBC News reported last week that President Joe Biden is considering retaining US troops in Afghanistan until November, rather than withdrawing them by the May 1 deadline specified in the Doha Agreement.
In recent discussions with members of his national security team, Biden has spoken out against the Department of Defense's efforts to keep US troops in Afghanistan after May 1,NBC News reports. But he was persuaded to consider a six-month extension.