Taliban Peace Deal Already Showing Cracks?
TAPPER: Our world lead now, new violence in Afghanistan just days after that landmark truce between the U.S. government and the Taliban, as a blast in Khost province in Afghanistan today killed three people. The president this morning nonetheless reiterated he wants American troops home.</s>TRUMP: We're getting out. We want to get out. We have done a great job in terms of getting rid of terrorists. Now it's up to other countries to get rid of those terrorists.</s>TAPPER: CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon for us. And, Barbara, I guess the big question, is the Taliban responsible for this new violence?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is always going to be the question throughout this process. And, right now, what you're referring to, the latest attack, we simply do not know, and, today, here at the Pentagon, a very heavy dose of reality from the Pentagon leadership.</s>GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The Taliban is not a monolithic group. There's multiple terrorist organizations operating. I would caution everybody, to think that there's going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan, that is probably not going to have. It's probably not going to go to zero.</s>STARR: And that's really the underpinning problem here, because the agreement also calls for all U.S. troops to be out of Afghanistan. And, today, the defense secretary said they would go down to from 12,000 to 13,000 currently there to about 8,600 troops and then stop and take a look at that violent -- at that situation, where is the level of violence, who's responsible for it, and make a decision whether they really can move ahead and bring all U.S. troops home, as the president wants -- Jake.</s>TAPPER: To say nothing of the sticking points having to do with freeing 5,000 Taliban prisoners and more. Let me ask you, Barbara. President Trump said this weekend that he plans to meet with leadership of the Taliban -- quote -- "in the not- too-distant future."</s>STARR: Right. And, boy, isn't that a remarkable thing? Of course, we were close to that last year, but that meeting got canceled. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, obviously meeting over the weekend with Taliban leaders. And here at the Pentagon, they say they're not really sure what's going to happen, who they're going to meet with, what the arrangements will be. But any president of the United States maybe with the Taliban 18 years after 9/11, plus-18 years, is really quite a remarkable thing -- Jake.</s>TAPPER: If we get to it. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Tonight, tune in to CNN for exclusive one-on-one interviews with four Democratic presidential candidates right ahead of Super Tuesday, which is tomorrow. Those interviews start tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN. Any moment, Vice President Mike Pence is going to hold a briefing at the White House with the latest details on the coronavirus. Stay with us.