DAVOS, Switzerland — Afghanistan is prepared for a major reduction in United States forces there, President Ashraf Ghani said on Thursday, adding that he had given that message to President Trump, a step toward winding down the costly American military presence as diplomats struggle to finalize a peace deal with the Taliban. About 12,000 American troops remain in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 eight years ago. A gradual reduction in United States troops in the country has taken place since 2018, despite the absence of a settlement emerging from peace negotiations in the Gulf state of Qatar over the past year. Mr. Trump declared the talks “dead” in September, just as the two sides were on the verge of finalizing an agreement. Mr. Ghani has been a vocal critic of the United States’ negotiations with the insurgents, because the talks have excluded his government.

Source: New York Times January 23, 2020 17:26 UTC