KABUL by the fall, an influential American media outlet reported on Saturday.
When implemented, the decision would the number of US soldiers on Afghanistan fall from 8,600 to 4,500 — the lowest troop level since the earliest days of the war that started in 2001.
CNN reported Secretary of Defense Mark Esper shared the Trump administration’s plan with NATO allies last week. The issue was taken up again in Esper’s meetings with NATO officials in Brussels on Friday.
Pentagon commanders drawing up options for early Afghanistan troop withdrawal
Before yesterday’s meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Esper said: “This will be done in close coordination with allies and partners.”
Stoltenberg was quoted as saying that they would follow up on their discussion regarding Afghanistan. NATO would keep adjusting its presence in support of the peace process, he added.
State Department and Pentagon officials have already made clear that any reduction below the 8,600 mark would be based on ground conditions.
Pentagon spokesman Major Rob Lodewick told CNN: “US force levels in Afghanistan remain in the mid-8,000s. Additional drawdowns beyond this number remain conditions-based …”
PAN Monitor/mud
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