US begins troop withdrawal amid political chaos in Afghanistan
- The US goal is to bring the numbers down to 8,600, from somewhere north of 12,000 troops, over 135 days
- Tensions mount as rival leaders Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah are both sworn in as president at competing ceremonies
American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the US-Taliban peace agreement, a US official said, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal.
Hundreds of troops are heading out of the country as previously planned, but they will not be replaced as the US moves ahead with plans to cut the number of forces in the country from about 13,000 to 8,600, the official said.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the movement ahead of a public announcement.
The pull-out comes as Afghanistan’s rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday, creating a complication for the United States as it figures out how to move forward on the deal and end the 18-year war.
The sharpening dispute between President Ashraf Ghani, who was declared the winner of last September’s election, and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, who charged fraud in the vote along with the elections complaints commission, threatens to wreck the next key steps and even risks devolving into new violence.
The US has not tied the withdrawal to political stability in Afghanistan or any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks. Instead, it depends on the Taliban meeting its commitment to prevent “any group or individual, including al-Qaeda, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies”.
