U.S. troop drawdown in Afghanistan ahead of schedule: Report

The U.S. troop drawdown in Afghanistan is moving quicker than expected as American forces in the country have decreased to nearly 8,600.

The mark is well ahead of schedule, partially due to fears of the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, in the country and on military bases, U.S. and NATO officials told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

The development comes just one day after the Afghan government moved to free hundreds of Taliban prisoners, breathing new life into hopes for substantive peace talks with the militants and ending months of infighting.

Under an agreement with special U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Feb. 29, the Taliban vowed to block ISIS and other outside terrorist groups and begin talks with Kabul in exchange for a Trump administration commitment to drawdown the 13,000 American troops to about 8,600 by midsummer and down to zero by May 2021.

But the deal was also contingent on peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government, which were supposed to have started quickly with a major prisoner swap as a confidence-building measure.

U.S. officials now say the goal of 8,600 could be achieved by the start of June, Reuters reported.

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“Due to COVID-19 concerns, we are moving towards that planned drawdown faster than anticipated,” said a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. They explained the Pentagon focused on removing nonessential and high-risk troops from bases across the country.

President Trump on Tuesday said there were “7,000 some-odd” American troops that remain in Afghanistan, but officials have since clarified that there are more than 8,600.

American lawmakers and experts alike have warned that a complete U.S. troop withdrawal could bring more instability to Afghanistan, which has seen war for nearly two decades. The Taliban has recently upped the number of attacks in small provinces across the country — a move that Mr. Khalilzad has said “violates the spirit” of the agreement with the U.S.