Washington: US Defence Secretary Mark Esper on Monday said that he has given the top American commander in Afghanistan the go-ahead to begin the initial withdrawal of troops.
Speaking at a Pentagon news conference, Esper said that he was not sure whether the drawdown had begun, but said it is required to start within 10 days of the signing on Saturday of the peace deal with the Taliban.
Esper added that Gen. Scott Miller, the US commander in Kabul has the authority to begin the withdrawal of forces to about 8,600 from the current total of nearly 13,000.
“We are going to show good faith and begin withdrawing our troops,” Esper said.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that there is no expectation that violence in Afghanistan will “go to zero” quickly, following the US-Taliban peace agreement announced on Saturday.
Esper said that the US expects violence will “taper off,” leading to a start by March 10 of peace negotiations among Afghan groups, including the Taliban.
With inputs from AP
