US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Thursday in Afghanistan for a surprise visit, NBC News reported.
His arrival comes less than 24 hours after US President Joe Biden announced that the US would completely withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.
The US currently has approximately 2,500 US troops serving in the African country.
In Kabul, Afghanistan, Blinken met the country's President Ashraf Ghani, High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah, and members of the country's civil society.
"I wanted to demonstrate with my visit the ongoing commitment of the United States to the Islamic Republic and the people of Afghanistan," Blinken said at his meeting with Ghani, which took place at the presidential palace in Kabul.
He added that "the partnership is changing, but the partnership is enduring."
At the US Embassy in Afghanistan, Blinken met with American soldiers, telling them that he is "in constant awe" of what they have achieved: "What you and your predecessors did over the last 20 years is really extraordinary."
NBC News noted that at a Brussels press conference prior to his arrival in Kabul, Blinken emphasized that "it's in no one's interest, including the Taliban, to plunge Afghanistan back into a long war, into a civil war that will do terrible damage to the country and to everyone."
"Ultimately, people of Afghanistan will be the ones to decide their future," he added, noting the "series of incentives and disincentives that will continue to shape what happens."