SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
US to announce 4,000-troop drawdown from Afghanistan: media
Washington, Dec 15 (AFP) Dec 15, 2019
The Trump administration will announce as early as this week plans to withdraw around 4,000 troops from Afghanistan, US media reported.

Talks between the United States and the Taliban resumed a week ago as the parties sought a path to reduce violence or even reach a ceasefire.

They were paused by Washington on Thursday, however, after an attack by the militant group near a key US air base north of Kabul that left two civilians dead and dozens injured.

There are 13,000 US troops currently in Afghanistan.

NBC on Saturday cited three current and former US officials as saying the Trump administration intends to announce the drawdown of 4,000 troops from Afghanistan.

Two of those said some of the troops would be redeploying early, while others would not be replaced when they end their term.

CNN cited one official in the Trump administration as saying the announcement on a drawdown could happen this week, but that the "timing remains in flux."

The State Department did not reply to an AFP request to comment on Sunday, and the Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which had no immediate comment.

According to a draft agreement from September -- reached after years of negotiations -- the Taliban would be required to commit to certain security measures, agree to talks with the Afghan government and promise a reduction of violence in exchange for a US troop withdrawal.

US President Donald Trump insisted last month on the need for a ceasefire and made a surprise visit to Bagram air base in Afghanistan on November 28 to celebrate Thanksgiving with troops and meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Trump has previously indicated he wants to wind down US military entanglements abroad where possible.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
SPHEREx completes first full sky infrared map of the cosmos
CoDICE instrument returns first-light particle data for IMAP mission
Top 5 High Volatility Games For 2026 Chase The Biggest Jackpots Today

24/7 Energy News Coverage
The Quantum Age will be Powered by Fusion
Physicists map axion production paths inside deuterium tritium fusion reactors
Hybrid excitons speed ultrafast energy transfer at 2D organic interface

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
SDA expands Tracking Layer satellite awards and related missile defense contracts
Space Systems Command activates System Delta 80 for assured space access
Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions to provide SAR reconnaissance data to German military

24/7 News Coverage
Philosopher argues AI consciousness may remain unknowable
Climate driven model explores Neanderthal and modern human overlap in Iberia
Economic losses from natural disasters down by a third in 2025: Swiss Re



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.