--- title: "Initial peace deal with Taliban reportedly includes yanking about 5,000 US troops from Afghanistan" date: "2019-08-01" modified: "2019-08-01" authors: - name: "Paul Szoldra" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/paul-szoldra.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/afghan-drawdown-peace/" categories: - "News" --- # Initial peace deal with Taliban reportedly includes yanking about 5,000 US troops from Afghanistan ![]() About 5,000 U.S. troops could be headed home from Afghanistan if an initial peace deal with the Taliban goes forward. The Washington Post [has the story on talks]() between the U.S. and the Taliban, which are still ongoing. According to The Post, the U.S. is willing to drawdown to between 8,000 and 9,000 troops from its current level of 14,000 in exchange for a Taliban cease fire and the group's renunciation of al Qaeda. - A U.S. official told The Post that additional cuts to American forces could come as the agreement continues to be hammered out. - In early July, the U.S.' top negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, concluded his seventh round of talks with the Taliban and said they were the "most productive," while adding that Taliban and Afghan officials had agreed on a "roadmap to peace," without sharing specifics. - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently that President Donald Trump had directed him to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan before the 2020 election. "That's my directive from the president of the United States," he said. - Pompeo later backtracked on those remarks, saying that "there is no deadline." - Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller, the top commander in Afghanistan, is open to the proposal, according to The Post, since he believes a small remnant counterterrorism force could still protect American interests in the region. [You can read the full story at The Post \>]() ## Author Paul Szoldra was the Editor in Chief of Task & Purpose from October 2018 until August 2022. Since joining T&P, he has led a talented team of writers, editors, and creators who produce military journalism reaching millions of readers each month. He also founded and edits [Duffel Blog](), a popular satirical newsletter for the military. Before becoming a journalist in 2013, he served as a Marine infantryman in Afghanistan, Korea, and other areas of the Pacific. His eyes still go up every time a helicopter from Camp Pendleton flies over his office in Southern California. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]() [Facebook]() [Instagram]() ## More - [The US is close to a deal with the Taliban, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly won’t sign it]() - [The US military quietly pulled 2,000 troops out of Afghanistan over the past year without a peace deal]() - [Trump reportedly gives ‘conditional’ approval to Afghan deal that may lead to US troop withdrawal]() - [The Taliban is allowed to read classified documents related to the Afghan peace deal, but you can’t]() - [Trump announces he will meet with Taliban leaders now that the peace deal has been signed]() - [ISIS Sinks Its Teeth Into The Taliban Amid The Latter’s Bid For Peace Talks]() - [This Analysis Of Taliban Peace Talks Started Out As A Conversation About Hemorrhoids]() - [The US may reportedly wash its hands of Afghanistan in the next 5 years]()