US will keep strong intel in Afghanistan after troop withdrawal, says Trump

"We will be leaving very strong intelligence, far more than you would normally think," Trump said told the Fox News Channel's "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

"It just seems to be a lab for terrorists... I call it the Harvard of terrorists," he said.

"I've wanted to pull them out," Trump said of US troops who have been fighting in the country since 2001.

But he said he hesitates due what he described as advice from the military that it is preferable to fight militants there than at home – echoing an argument advanced by George W. Bush's administration.

Trump's comments come with rival Afghans set to start meeting in Qatar on Sunday in a fresh attempt to make political headway as the United States seeks a peace deal with the Taliban within three months.

The United States and the Taliban opened fresh negotiations in Doha on Saturday.

The negotiations have centred on four issues: counter-terrorism, the foreign troop presence, an intra-Afghan dialogue and a permanent ceasefire.

US officials have previously said they are hoping for a deal before the upcoming Afghan presidential elections, which have already been delayed twice and are now set for September.

On Tuesday, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid an unannounced visit to Kabul and said he hoped for a peace deal with the Taliban "before September 1".