US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan to kick off
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KABUL - A US top general has said that the United States military is expected to trim troop levels in Afghanistan as part of an efficiency drive by the new commander.
The report said that the US general estimated that the cut may exceed 1,000 forces.
Gen. Joseph Votel, head of the US military’s Central Command, said the decision to reduce some of the roughly 14,000 American forces in Afghanistan was not linked to those peace efforts.
Instead, he said it was part of an effort by Army General Scott Miller, who took over the more than 17-year war effort in September, to make better use of US resources.
“This is something that he started as he got into the position here and was looking at how we (can) be as efficient and as effective as we can be on the ground,” Votel said in an interview during a trip to Oman.
Diplomatic sources believe the efficiency push, which has been raising eyebrows in Kabul, was already driving down US troop levels.
