US forces reject draw back in Afghanistan operations

KABUL in Afghanistan.

US-Forces Spokesman in Afghanistan Col. Sonny Leggett told Pajhwok Afghan News: “We have no such orders and have made no such changes.”

He termed News Week article as inaccurate and speculative sighting unnamed sources who were likely as far from the subject as they are from Afghanistan itself.

“The characterizations of changes to our authorities and operations have no basis in fact. We have no such orders and have made no such changes,” he said.

Earlier, Newsweek in its report claimed a significant reduction or halted as the Pentagon planed for a potential withdrawal of thousands of US forces from its longest conflict ever.

The development came on the same day peace talks concluded between US and Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar.

While a final agreement has yet to be reached between Washington and Taliban negotiators, Newsweek cited a senior Pentagon officials that US personnel have been ordered to limit nearly all offensive combat operations against the Taliban and cease advising the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces as the Trump administration proposed cutting US troop strength in Afghanistan by nearly half to 6,000 as a means of finalizing "technical" details among Taliban leadership.

The withdrawal figure is subject to change, however, depending on the course of the ongoing conflict and the talks trying to end it, US officials told Newsweek.

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