The US government is close to finalizing a decision to pull out more than 4,000 troops from Afghanistan by the fall, CNN reported on Friday.
The move would reduce the number of US troops from 8,600 to 4,500 which would be the lowest number since the war began in 2001.
While the decision is not final, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper discussed the plan with NATO allies last week and the topic was revisited in his meetings with NATO officials in Brussels Friday, the report said.
“We will also follow up on our discussion on Afghanistan. NATO will continue to adjust our presence in support of the peace process,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday alongside Esper before their meeting. “This will be done in close coordination with Allies and partners.”
Under an agreement with the Taliban signed in late March, Washington committed to a full withdrawal within 14 months – by next April – if the Taliban upheld its commitments.
As part of that deal, the US also agreed to reduce the number of troops from about 13,000 to 8,600 by early July, a target which has already been achieved.
“US force levels in Afghanistan remain in the mid-8,000s. Additional drawdowns beyond this number remain conditions-based according to the US Government’s assessment of the overall security environment and Taliban compliance with the US-Taliban agreement,” Pentagon spokesman Major Rob Lodewick, was quoted by CNN as saying.
Sediq Sediqi, an Afghan presidential spokesman, said that the number of troops was not determining relations between Afghanistan and US.
