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Asharq Al-Awsat

World

Asharq Al-Awsat

US to Cut Troop Levels in Afghanistan to 'Less Than 5,000'

FILE PHOTO: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper addresses reporters during a media briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, US, October 11, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott

The United States plans to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to "a number less than 5,000" by the end of November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said.

In an interview broadcast on Saturday, he added detail to drawdown plans US President Donald Trump announced earlier this week.

The United States currently has about 8,600 troops in Afghanistan. Trump said in an interview released Monday by Axios that the United States planned to lower that number to about 4,000.

Esper announced the lower troop levels in a Fox News interview.

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