Trump Says Taliban Peace Talks Have Resumed During Surprise Afghanistan Visit

President Donald Trump during a visit to South Korea earlier this year (Picture: US Army).

US President Donald Trump has announced the US has restarted peace talks with the Taliban, during a surprise Thanksgiving visit to American troops in Afghanistan. 

President Trump arrived at Bagram Air Field on Thursday evening, local time.

He spent two-and-a-half hours on the ground, serving turkey, speaking to soldiers and sitting down with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

The US has been at war in Afghanistan for 18 years - the longest war in the country's history.

Around 12,000 US forces remain in the country and Mr Trump appeared in good spirits as he was escorted around Bagram Air Field by heavily armed soldiers.

His first stop was a dining hall where he plated turkey and sat down for a meal. 

During his visit, Mr Trump said the US and Taliban have been engaged in peace talks and insisted the group wanted to make a deal after heavy US fire in recent months. 

"We're meeting with them [Taliban]," Mr Trump said.

"We're saying it has to be a ceasefire. And they don't want to do a ceasefire but now they do want to do a ceasefire, I believe... and we'll see what happens."

It comes after Mr Trump abruptly ended peace talks with the Taliban in September. 

He called off a secret meeting with Taliban and Afghan leaders at the Camp David presidential retreat following a deadly spate of violence which included a bombing in Kabul that killed 12 people, including an American soldier.

It marked the end of nearly year-long efforts by the US to reach an agreement with the Taliban.

The group protected al-Qaeda extremists in Afghanistan, prompting US military action after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

During Mr Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign, he vowed to end the nation's "endless wars".

He has been pushing to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East, despite concnerns by top US officials and European allies.

Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and more than 2,400 American service members have been killed since the war began 18 years ago.