Currently, American airstrikes are at levels not seen since the height of the war, when tens of thousands of American troops were spread throughout the country. That air support, officials say, consists mostly of propping up Afghan troops while they try to hold territory from a resurgent Taliban.
Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the incoming commander of Central Command, told lawmakers during his confirmation this month that the Afghan military would dissolve if not for American support.
“If we left precipitously right now, I do not believe they would be able to successfully defend their country,” he said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I think that one of the things that would actually provide the most damage to them would be if we put a timeline on it and we said we were going out at a certain point in time.”
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 representative in charge of the talks for Afghan reconciliation, speaking to Afghan news outlets, hinted toward progress during the discussions.
Mr. Khalilzad 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.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/us/politics/afghanistan-troop-withdrawal.html
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