President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official told AFP on Thursday, with some reports suggesting as many as 50 percent could leave the war-torn country.
President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official told AFP on Thursday, with some reports suggesting as many as 50 percent could leave the war-torn country.
The surprise move stunned and dismayed foreign diplomats and officials in Kabul who are involved in an intensifying push to end the 17-year conflict.
« If you’re the Taliban, Christmas has come early, » a senior foreign official in the Afghan capital told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
« Would you be thinking of a ceasefire if your main opponent has just withdrawn half their troops? »
It is not clear if US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad or the Afghan government had been aware of Trump’s plans. A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said « if there is any reaction by the Afghan government, we will share it later ».
