ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – The top American commander in Afghanistan revealedMonday the size of U.S. troop force in the country has quietly been reducedby 2,000 over the last year, insisting remaining military personnel arestill capable of reaching their stated objectives.
The revelation by Gen. Austin Scott Miller, means the number of residualU.S. force now stands at roughly 12,000 soldiers. They are tasked withfighting terrorist groups, including al-Qaida and Islamic State, as well astraining, advising and assisting Afghan forces battling Talibaninsurgents.
“Unbeknownst to the public as part of our optimization, over the last year…we have reduced our authorized strength by 2,000 here,” Miller told a jointnews conference with visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Kabul.
“So, there is a constant look as a military commander to optimize the forcehere, and what it’s based on is you understand the risks to the force,risks to the mission, and look at it in terms of capabilities,” Gen Millersaid. He was responding to comments Esper made a day earlier that even ifthe troop size is eventually reduced down to 8,600, it will not underminethe U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
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The U.S. defense secretary arrived in the Afghan capital on an unannouncedvisit Sunday and held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and metwith U.S. service members.
Esper on Monday dismissed concerns that Washington could be preparing tostage an abrupt pull out from Afghanistan, as many see the U.S. militarydoing in northeastern Syria.
