ISLAMABAD – American troops starts withdrawal from Afghanistan after thelongest war of the US history.
American troops have started leaving Afghanistan, according to a USofficial who spoke to the media, a couple of weeks after a historicagreement was signed between Washington and the Taliban that can result inthe end of a 19-year bloodshed between the two sides.
The officials said that hundreds of US troops have started to leaveAfghanistan in accordance with the deal with the Taliban.
These soldiers will not be replaced as the American administration looks todecrease US troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600, said the officialwhile speaking to *Associated Press.*
“US Forces Afghanistan has begun its conditions-based reduction of forcesto 8,600 over 135 days,” spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett said in astatement.
The troop withdrawal comes before a public announcement of the move astensions are set to rise once again in Afghanistan following a new riftbetween Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah.
The two rival politicians held separate presidential oath takingceremonies, each refusing to recognise the other and claiming the right tothe presidentship.
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Ghani, who emerged the victor in controversial Afghanistan elections, isnot recognised by Abdullah who has alleged that the polls were rigged.
This can complicate matters for the US and create hindrances in theimplementation of the peace accord between the US and the Taliban. Thelatter has been stepping up attacks against the Afghan security forces inrecent days but has not targeted foreign forces.
The next step of the deal involves an intra-Afghan peace dialogue throughwhich the Taliban and Afghanistan stakeholders will try to figure out apower-sharing formula to ensure the US can withdraw and peace prevails inthe country.
Tensions between Abdullah and Ghani can threaten the fragile peaceagreement and shatter dreams of peace prevailing in Afghanistan afteralmost two decades. The long-term plan is for the US to remove all troopswithin 14 months if security conditions are met.
