https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6690603/Military-vehicles-streets-Thailands-junta-chief-dismisses-coup-rumours-fake-news.html
A top Pentagon official went on an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Feb. 11 to meet with U.S. commanders and Afghan leaders amid a renewed push for peace with the Taliban as the Trump administration seeks to end the 17-year-war—the longest in the history of the United States.
So far there have been no direct orders to reduce U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to Patrick Shanahan, the recently installed acting secretary of defense who made the visit. Officials say the troop withdrawal is at the top of the Taliban’s list of demands in exploratory peace negotiations.
Washington is trying to break the impasse between the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban, who have refused to negotiate.
“The Afghans have to decide what Afghanistan looks like. It’s not about the U.S., it’s about Afghanistan,” Shanahan told reporters traveling with him from Washington.
President Donald Trump has long advocated for ending the costly U.S. presence in Afghanistan. In December he announced the withdrawal of 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, citing the defeat of the ISIS terrorist group and that U.S. forces were no longer needed there. A Department of Defense spokesman confirmed on Jan. 11 that the coalition has started the withdrawal process.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/top-pentagon-official-visits-afghanistan-amid-push-for-peace_2796881.html