Withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan ahead of schedule

(WFLA/CNN Newsource) – The Trump administration is ahead of schedule in withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan.

The United States now has fewer than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, putting it ahead of the schedule made in the peace deal with the Taliban.

By mid-July, the US pledged to reduce its total number of troops to 8,600.

That’s down from the total of 12 to 13,000 soldiers the US had in Afghanistan earlier this year.

But it could hit that goal in just a few weeks, which would be months ahead of the original deadline.

One US Defense official said the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the schedule somewhat.

While the troop withdrawal is ahead of schedule, observers say diplomacy is not.

The talks between the Taliban and the Afghan movement have not begun.

The effort to release as many as 5,000 Taliban prisoners has not been successfully completed yet.