US to reduce troops from 13,000 to 8,600 in Afghanistan: US officials

The US will reduce its troop levels from 13,000 to 8,600 in Afghanistan in the coming months, but the pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism and not showing "bad faith" to talks, officials said here on Saturday as America and the militant group signed a landmark peace agreement in Doha.

Under the agreement, the US would withdraw its troops in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining American forces withdrawing in 14 months. The peace agreement is aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of war in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war.

As part of its efforts to bring lasting peace in the war-torn Afghanistan and the agreement it signed with the Taliban, the US has committed to make an initial reduction in its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600. The US currently has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan.

This is the level that General Scotts Miller, Commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, had earlier ...