The Afghanistan directive also comes as the United States attempts to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban, potentially undercutting leverage that American diplomats have. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general who was among the first combat leaders in Afghanistan, opposes a hasty withdrawal from both countries. Defense officials in the United States either did not respond to the reports, or said they had no information. Senior U.S. military officials have repeatedly warned that leaving Afghanistan could have dangerous consequences in the United States. He survived an attack in Kandahar province in October that killed two senior Afghan officials and wounded an American senior officer, Brig.

Source: Washington Post December 21, 2018 00:02 UTC