ashraf ghani

Ghani said on Sunday that he had left the country to avoid further bloodshed.

The simple question of whether the U.S. should stay or go was not simple at all. Now Biden's determination to leave Afghanistan has resulted in a bigger mess than he bargained for.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani now says he will free 1,500 Taliban prisoners starting this week and 3,500 more during yet-to-start peace talks with the Taliban.

The attack interrupted a memorial for a Shiite leader that the country's chief executive had been attending. The Taliban, which just signed a peace deal with the U.S., said they were not involved.

Afghanistan's president is resisting a promised prisoner swap, the Taliban has resumed attacks, but U.S. officials are pushing both sides to sit down for a political settlement to end the war.

The strike followed President Trump's call with the Taliban, during which he says they agreed "we don't want violence." Still, the group has led a wave of attacks since signing the landmark deal.

A peace deal signed with the Taliban calls for 4,000 of the approximately 13,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan to leave within 135 days and for all U.S. troops to be out within 14 months.

The attack, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, occurred as President Ashraf Ghani was making a rare personal appearance. Due to security concerns, he gives many speeches through his laptop.

Since a brief truce in June, attacks by the militant group have left hundreds of people dead. President Ashraf Ghani is angling for a new peace deal, but the Taliban hasn't taken him up on it.

The unilateral, temporary cease-fire set to begin next week marks one of Ashraf Ghani's biggest peace overtures yet. But after years of bloodshed, it's unclear if the militant group will reciprocate.