WASHINGTON — History in Making, American Troops starts withdrawal fromAfghanistan from the longest ever war of its history.
American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troopwithdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreementlink, the U.S. militaryconfirmed Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal,Associated Press has reported.
Army Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said ina statement that the U.S. is moving ahead with plans to cut the number offorces in the country from about 13,000 to 8,600 over the next four and ahalf months.
Another U.S. official said hundreds of troops have headed out of thecountry as previously planned, but they will not be replaced. The officialspoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss themovement ahead of a public announcement.
The pullout comes as Afghanistan’s rival leaders were each sworn in aspresident in separate ceremonieslink Monday, creating acomplication for the United States as it figures out how to move forward onthe deal and end the 18-year war.
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The sharpening dispute between President Ashraf Ghani, who was declared thewinner of last September’s election, and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, whocharged fraud in the vote along with the elections complaints commission,threatens to wreck the next key steps and even risks devolving into newviolence.
The U.S. has not tied the withdrawal to political stability in Afghanistanor any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks. Instead, itdepends on the Taliban meeting its commitment to prevent “any group orindividual, including al-Qaida, from using the soil of Afghanistan tothreaten the security of the United States and its allies.”
