Esper wants to cut US troops ‘with or without’ Afghan peace deal
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday he wants to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan “with or without” a peace agreement in order to give higher priority to strategic competition with China.
The Trump administration is expected to announce plans to withdraw around 4,000 troops from Afghanistan, according to US media, after peace talks resumed a week ago between the US and the Taliban.
Esper told reporters Monday that Austin Miller, the head of the Nato mission and US Forces Afghanistan, “is confident that he can go down to a lower number” of troops.
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