Acting Pentagon chief: no orders to withdraw from Afghanistan

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in Kabul discussed peace talks and the fight against the Taliban.Ariana News Agency- 

Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan says there is no order to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan and the Afghan government should participate in peace talks with the Taliban, in remarks on a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Monday.

Shanahan met the US commander and troops and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the unannounced one-day visit, his first in his new role.

Reports that Donald Trump, president of the United States wants to withdraw about half of the estimated 14,000 US forces in Afghanistan, has raised concerns among Afghan and regional officials about the effect it might have on security in the country.

Afghan troops have been struggling to contain Taliban forces that control or contest about half of the country and a growing number of fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).

Shanahan said the US has “strong security interests in the region” which would determine what happened with US troop numbers.

“I have not been directed to step down our forces in Afghanistan,” Shanahan said.

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“I think the presence we want in Afghanistan is what assures our homeland defence and supports regional stability.”

Zalmay Khalilzad, who is on a six-nation trip to discuss the Afghan peace process said Tuesday while meeting with EU and NATO partners in Brussels that their shared purpose is to reach a peace agreement and not a withdrawal agreement.

“Our shared purpose is to reach a peace agreement (not a withdrawal agreement) that is worthy of the sacrifices made over decades of war,” Khalilzad tweeted.

Khalilzad said in a tweet he met with EU and NATO partners in Brussels and was encouraged by their strong endorsement on the progress they have made regarding the peace process so far.

“We went into Afghanistan together, and together we will determine our future posture, based on conditions we determine with Afghans. We also agreed that jumpstarting the intra-Afghan dialogue is an immediate priority,” Khalilzad tweeted.