American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the US-Taliban peace agreement, a US official said on Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal, SIA reports.
Hundreds of troops are heading out of the country as previously planned, but they will not be replaced as the US moves ahead with plans to cut the number of forces in the country from about 13,000 to 8,600, the official said. The pullout comes as Afghanistan's rival leaders were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies on Monday, creating a complication for the United States as it figures out how to move forward on the deal and end the 18-year war.
Under the peace agreement, the US troop withdrawal had to begin within 10 days after the deal was signed on Feb. 29. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said March 2 that he had already approved the start of the withdrawal, which would then be coordinated by military commanders in Afghanistan.
The US official said the troops leaving now had been scheduled to depart, but they will not be replaced. Esper has said Gen. Scott Miller, the US commander in Kabul, will pause the withdrawal and assess conditions once the troop level goes down to 8,600.
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