US to withdraw half of its 14,000 troops from Afghanistan

US President Donald Trump has ordered the start of withdrawing some 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, about half of the total number of American boots on the ground in the war-torn country.

According to Press TV, the abrupt decision, which came a day after the president’s announcement of military withdrawal from Syria, has stunned even Afghan officials who say they have not been briefed on the plans.

Reuters had earlier quoted a US official as saying that the number of forces to be pulled out from Afghanistan is 5,000; however, the New York Times later increased the number to 7,000, quoting two defense officials.

The official who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity said timelines were being discussed but it could happen in weeks or months.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally and frequent golf partner of Trump, on Thursday warned the troop pullout from Afghanistan could ultimately lead to another attack on America similar to the one on Sept. 11, 2001.

Graham said the conditions in Afghanistan made the withdrawal a high-risk strategy. "If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11."

Trump’s decision on Afghanistan was made at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria, one official said.

The plan to reduce American forces in the country comes just days after the United Arab Emirates hosted two days of talks between the United States and the Taliban.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the Trump administration’s special envoy to Afghanistan, said the Taliban’s demand remained an agreement over the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, while the United States has sought assurances from the militant group that Afghanistan would not become a haven for terrorists.

It remains unclear how the newly planned troop drawdown could affect the administration’s negotiations with the Taliban.

The Abu Dhabi meeting was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at putting an end to a 17-year-old war in Afghanistan which began with the US invasion in 2001 to topple the Taliban.

A delegation from the Afghan government also traveled to Abu Dhabi “to begin proximity dialogue with the Taliban delegation and to prepare for a face-to-face meeting between the two sides,” the Afghan Presidential Spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said.

The militant group, however, has not acknowledged meeting Afghan officials.

ME