U.S. defense chief says no hostile interactions with Taliban

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin answers reporters questions at the Pentagon as the U.S. military nears the formal end of its mission in Afghanistan in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. July 21, 2021. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday there were about 4,500 U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and there "have been no hostile interactions with the Taliban and our lines of communication with Taliban commanders remain open."

(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle, David Brunnstrom, writing by Michelle Nichols, Editing by Franklin Paul)