![\"us](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/us-marines-e1545652687194.jpg\")
U.S. Marines stand in formation during a ceremony in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 American troops serving in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said, marking a sharp change in the Trump administration’s policy aimed at forcing the Taliban to the peace table after more than 17 years of war. (Massoud Hossaini\/AP)
\nBy: Amir Shah, The Associated Press <\/p>\n
KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 The withdrawal of half of the 14,000 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan will have little impact on the fighting capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces, the spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said Friday.<\/p>\n
Haroon Chakansuri was responding to reports the Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw 7,000 American soldiers by the summer. He said Afghanistan\u2019s military has been in charge of the country\u2019s security since 2014 when more than 100,000 NATO troops withdrew.<\/p>\n
Since then, U.S. forces have provided training and advice, assisting in military operations only when requested by Afghan troops.<\/p>\n
However, the Taliban are stronger today than they have been since their ouster in 2001. They control or hold sway over nearly half the country, carrying out near daily attacks that mostly target Afghan security forces.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A Taliban official, who did not want to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, called the planned withdrawal a “positive step” that can aid efforts at a negotiated end to the fighting.<\/p>\n
Since leading the multi-nation invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the U.S. has lost more than 2,400 soldiers and spent more than $900 billion in its longest war<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
First Syria, now Afghanistan. President Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from there as well, ending the 17-year deployment of American forces in-country. <\/p>\n
More than 7,000 service members will begin returning from Afghanistan in coming months, per White House order. This comes shortly after Trump signaled plans to remove all U.S. forces from Syria, declaring that \u201cWe have won against ISIS.\u201d<\/p>\n
This and Syria are quite a Christmas present. Standing by for the obligatory howls of angst from IVAW and others of chattering class, who just a short while ago were protesting our military presence there.<\/p>\n
The rest of the article may be viewed at: The Military Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"