WASHINGTON: The United States and Afghanistan said Thursday they have agreed to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in the country.

In a joint statement, Washington and Kabul said the agreement had been reached in a telephone call between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and US Afghan special representative Zalmay Khalizad had been sent to Kabul to "discuss in detail the next steps on the road to peace," the statement said. —AFP