{"id":55287,"date":"2019-02-16T17:17:17","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T17:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/16\/us-lawmakers-meet-ghani-warn-against-big-afghanistan-troop-pullout\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:07:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:07:06","slug":"us-lawmakers-meet-ghani-warn-against-big-afghanistan-troop-pullout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/16\/us-lawmakers-meet-ghani-warn-against-big-afghanistan-troop-pullout\/","title":{"rendered":"US lawmakers meet Ghani, warn against big Afghanistan troop pullout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MUNICH \u2014 Amid plans to withdraw 1,000 or more American troops from Afghanistan, several key U.S. lawmakers, after meeting with President Ashaf Ghani on Saturday, warned against a wider drawdown like the one President Donald Trump has planned for Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers said Ghani spoke with them on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/02\/10\/trumps-afghan-envoy-intensifies-peace-efforts-with-taliban\/\" target=_blank>Afghan peace process<\/a>, the U.S. troop presence and recent Russian involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bipartisan group included Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mac Thornberry, and both Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and ranking member Bob Menendez, D-N.J. There are roughly 50 U.S. lawmakers at Munich, the largest American delegation in the conference\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Mike Pence separately met Ghani at Munich, just days after Trump made a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/06\/great-nations-do-not-fight-endless-wars-trump-touts-troop-drawdowns-in-state-of-the-union\/\" target=_blank>speech <\/a>to Congress making the case for drawing down the number of American troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan. At the time, Trump called U.S. talks with the Taliban \u201cconstructive\u201d and said, \u201cthe hour has come to at least try for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Addressing the conference on Saturday, Merkel questioned the wisdom of a rapid U.S. withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan, among other unilateral moves undertaken by the Trump administration. She cautioned that the NATO mission in Afghanistan is dependent upon U.S. participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the closed-door meeting with lawmakers Saturday, Ghani is said to have expressed confidence that Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw will be based on conditions in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe presents a strong case for our participation in helping him with his mission,\u201d Inhofe, R-Okla., said of Ghani. \u201cHe wants to maintain as heavy a [U.S. troop] presence as he can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked if he supported Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, Inhofe said, \u201cThat\u2019s [Trump\u2019s] decision to make,&#8221; with the caveat: &#8220;Not withdrawing all our troops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/munich-security-conference\/2019\/02\/14\/pentagon-chief-us-will-work-with-nato-on-planned-afghanistan-troop-withdrawal\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_5649.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pentagon chief: US will work with NATO on planned Afghanistan troop withdrawal<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A departure &#039;won&#039;t be unilateral,&#039; Shanahan said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before any peace push-related drawdowns, the U.S. military is expected to trim troop levels in Afghanistan as part of an efficiency drive, U.S. Central Command\u2019s Gen. Joseph Votel told Reuters on Friday, estimating the cuts may exceed 1,000 forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Votel said the decision to reduce some of the roughly 14,000 American forces in Afghanistan was made by Army Gen. Scott Miller, who took over the more than 17-year war effort in September, to make better use of U.S. resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome adjustment in numbers makes sense, the key is keeping pressure on the Taliban and terrorists,\u201d said Thornberry, R-Tex., just after leaving the meeting with Ghani. \u201cI do not think it\u2019s appropriate to relieve the pressure in any way. As a matter of fact, I think that will hurt the peace process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A day after Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/15\/graham-us-looking-for-allies-to-replace-it-in-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">told <\/a>the conference the U.S. will look to allies to step in as it draws down from Syria, Thornberry reiterated his belief the Trump administration\u2019s plans to withdraw from Syria completely are \u201ca mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it will be challenging to ask others to take our place if we [have] just bailed totally,\u201d Thornberry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said a U.S. withdrawal, \u201cshould be based on conditions, not an arbitrary schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe heard a lot of concerns from this president and others about former presidents setting arbitrary schedules to withdraw. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what we should do,\u201d said Shaheen, D-N.H. \u201cI am concerned about that, and I\u2019m concerned about that in Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Trump has sought an exit from Afghanistan, Russia has stepped in. Earlier this month, Moscow hosted talks between Taliban representatives, regional leaders and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Shaheen, Ghani acknowledged that those talks sent \u201ca mixed message,\u201d and Ghani told lawmakers that he is Afghanistan\u2019s legitimate authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe agreed with that,\u201d Shaheen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/02\/08\/the-framework-for-a-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-has-been-set-will-it-stick\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4702494.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Plan for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan takes shape \u2014 but will it stick?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. and the Taliban have agreed \u2018in principle\u2019 to withdraw U.S. forces, but a final peace deal is still a long ways off, the U.S. envoy said Friday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking on the sidelines at Munich, James Stavridis, who oversaw the Afghanistan fight as a former supreme allied commander at NATO, said the time is ripe for a solution in Afghanistan. The Taliban, Pakistan and Washington are ready to bring an end to the conflict, and \u201cPresident Ghani understands that U.S. patience is wearing thin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stavridis, who commanded 150,000 troops in Afghanistan, argued that the U.S. must maintain its 14,000 troops and allies their 7,000 troops, to motivate the Taliban to stay part of peace talks as those talks evolve to include the Afghan government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To the former Navy admiral, 1,000 troops seemed somewhat negligible, but a dramatic announcement, like Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/12\/19\/troops-may-immediately-withdrawal-from-syria-as-trump-declares-victory-over-isis\/\" target=_blank>made<\/a> for Syria in December, would be worrisome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is not the time to be withdrawing a significant number of troops,\u201d Stavridis said. \u201cTo the degree Congress has a role to play, they should be pressuring the administration to stay in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Afghan President Ashaf Ghani met separately with US lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":114692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"8":{"categories":["congress","federal-oversight","daily-brief","newsletters","home"],"primary_category":"congress"}}},"categories":[8,160,162,36,30,119],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-55287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-daily","category-newsletters","category-smr","category-munich-security-conference"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"3SROUE7KIFGFHLL7MAO5RI7K44","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2019\/02\/16\/us-lawmakers-meet-ghani-warn-against-big-afghanistan-troop-pullout\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US lawmakers meet Ghani, warn against big Afghanistan troop pullout - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Afghan President Ashaf Ghani met separately with US lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US lawmakers meet Ghani, warn against big Afghanistan troop pullout\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Afghan President Ashaf Ghani met separately with US lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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