Troop Drawdown Coming?
December 16, 2019 2:40PM EST
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Senator Lindsey Graham says President Donald Trump will announce a U.S. troop drawdown from Afghanistan later this week. Graham says the drawdown will likely begin next year. He says the president may lower troop numbers to 8,600, down from the current 12,000. Graham has been a vocal opponent of a full withdrawal of U.S. troops. Speaking in Kabul on Monday, he said America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan has to be “condition based,” and that the Taliban must keep the promises they make during talks. Recently-resumed peace negotiations between the U.S. and Taliban are again “paused” after an attack last week outside Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul.