US defense chief in Afghanistan to assess the way ahead 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy the Associated PressUS Defense Secretary Mark Esper has arrived in Kabul to assess what comes next for the US military in Afghanistan. Esper tells reporters traveling with him that he believes the US can reduce its force in Afghanistan to 8,600 without hurting the counterterrorism fight against al-Qaida and IS. But he says any withdrawal would happen as part of a peace agreement with the Taliban. The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the US-led coalition training and advising the Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations against insurgents.

Source: Manila Bulletin October 20, 2019 11:26 UTC