U.S. Has Yet to Design Plan to Withdraw All Forces from Afghanistan, CENTCOM General Says by Corey Dickstein - Stars & Stripes
The Pentagon has not developed military plans for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan, despite the U.S. commitment to remove all forces from the country in 14 months should the Taliban uphold its end of a peace deal signed last month, a top U.S. general said Tuesday.
Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee that the United States would draw down to 8,600 troops by midsummer and any further withdrawal would be contingent on the Taliban’s actions in the coming months. The peace agreement signed Feb. 29 in Doha calls for the Taliban to halt attacks on U.S. and other foreign forces, reduce violence across the country, cut ties with al-Qaida and negotiate directly with the Afghan government.
“The Taliban need to keep their part of the bargain,” McKenzie said. “… Conditions on the ground will dictate if we go below that [8,600 troops]. If conditions on the ground are not permissive, my advice would be not to continue that reduction."…