President Ghani:
Afghanistan Ready for Major U.S. Troop Reduction
DAVOS (Dispatches) – Afghanistan is prepared for a major reduction in United States troops in the country, President Ashraf Ghani says, adding that he has given that message to President Trump, a step toward winding down the costly American military presence as diplomats struggle to finalize a deal with the Taliban.
About 12,000 American troops remain in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 eight years ago. A gradual reduction in United States troops in the country has taken place over the last year, despite the absence of a settlement emerging from negotiations in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar over the past year.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared the talks "dead” in September, just as the two sides were on the verge of finalizing an agreement. They later resumed, but have since stalled.
Ghani has been a vocal critic of the United States’ negotiations with the militants, because the talks have excluded his government. But speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, he said he had told Trump that the Afghan government was ready for a further reduction of 4,000 American troops, one-third of those remaining.
"We are totally ready for a withdrawal of 4,000 troops anytime the president decides,” Ghani told reporters at the economic gathering, a day after he met with Trump.
American negotiators have been in Qatar for the past several weeks, trying to kickstart the stalled talks.
The U.S. invaded the Central Asian country after the September 11, 2001 attacks under the banner of seeking to fight "terror” thousands of kilometers away from its own borders.
The invasion deposed the Taliban, but the group has never ceased its operations across Afghanistan, and has vowed to keep up its attacks until the withdrawal of all U.S.-led forces.
The U.S. began negotiations with the militants under President Donald Trump. The Taliban, however, abandoned the talks, citing lack of resolve on the part of Washington to end the military intervention.
About 12,000 American troops remain in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 eight years ago. A gradual reduction in United States troops in the country has taken place over the last year, despite the absence of a settlement emerging from negotiations in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar over the past year.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared the talks "dead” in September, just as the two sides were on the verge of finalizing an agreement. They later resumed, but have since stalled.
Ghani has been a vocal critic of the United States’ negotiations with the militants, because the talks have excluded his government. But speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, he said he had told Trump that the Afghan government was ready for a further reduction of 4,000 American troops, one-third of those remaining.
"We are totally ready for a withdrawal of 4,000 troops anytime the president decides,” Ghani told reporters at the economic gathering, a day after he met with Trump.
American negotiators have been in Qatar for the past several weeks, trying to kickstart the stalled talks.
The U.S. invaded the Central Asian country after the September 11, 2001 attacks under the banner of seeking to fight "terror” thousands of kilometers away from its own borders.
The invasion deposed the Taliban, but the group has never ceased its operations across Afghanistan, and has vowed to keep up its attacks until the withdrawal of all U.S.-led forces.
The U.S. began negotiations with the militants under President Donald Trump. The Taliban, however, abandoned the talks, citing lack of resolve on the part of Washington to end the military intervention.