The remaining US troops in Afghanistan should return to the US territory by the end of the year, US President Donald Trump wrote about this on his Twitter page.
"The small number of our brave men and women who remain in Afghanistan should return home by Christmas," he said. Catholics and Protestants celebrate Christmas on December 25.
Earlier Wednesday, US Assistant President for National Security Robert O'Brien said the number of US troops in Afghanistan will be reduced to 2,500 by early next year.
In late September, acting US assistant minister of defense for security in the Indian and Pacific regions David Helvey made a statement that the Pentagon aims for a complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by May 2021.
The United States and the radical Taliban (banned in Russia) signed a peace agreement in Doha on February 29. Under the agreement, the United States, its allies and the coalition intend to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within 14 months. The Taliban, in turn, guarantee that they will not use Afghan territory for activities that threaten the security of the united states and its allies.
The US Operation in Afghanistan has been ongoing since October 2001 and has been the longest foreign military campaign in US history. At its peak in 2010-2013, Western forces in Afghanistan numbered more than 150,000. The main US and NATO combat forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2014.
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Photo: Evan Vucci / AP / TASS
Based on materials from TASS