Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Tuesday, meeting with Afghan officials and American troops as the U.S. continues a major drawdown from the country during President Trump’s final weeks in office.
Mr. Miller, who is presiding over dramatic cuts in the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul. The two men discussed “a historic opportunity to achieve peace in the country,” Pentagon officials said.
The Pentagon chief also met with Gen. Scott Miller, the head of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, and American troops spending the holidays in Afghanistan away from their families.
Mr. Miller’s trip comes just a week after Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley sat down with leaders of the Taliban in an effort to secure a reduction in violence and ultimately bring an end to the longest military engagement in American history.
The Trump administration last February struck a historic peace deal with the Taliban that calls for the eventual withdrawal of all American forces in exchange for a reduction in Taliban attacks, guarantees Afghanistan won’t again become a safe haven for terrorists, and direct peace talks between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.
Despite that agreement, Pentagon leaders have said that current levels of violence in Afghanistan could undermine the deal.
The U.S. had nearly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan last February when the agreement was signed. The figure will drop to 2,500 by Jan. 15, five days before President-elect Joseph R. Biden takes office.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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