A targeted strike by U.S. forces in Afghanistan Sunday night killed five Taliban fighters attacking Afghan security forces, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan announced via a tweet early Monday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUSFOR-A conducted a targeted strike in Nerkh, Wardak last night- in defense of the ANDSF and in accordance with the U.S.-TB Agreement- killing 5 Taliban fighters,\u201d tweeted Army Col. Sonny Leggett. \u201cWe reject the allegations of violating the agreement and of killing innocent Afghans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strike comes less than a week after Army Gen. Austin \u201cScott\u201d Miller, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan<\/a> are doing their best to keep to an agreement to reduce violence, including opting not to go on the offensive in some cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve shown a great deal of restraint because we\u2019re trying to make this peace process work,\u201d Miller told the BBC in a segment that aired Oct. 21. \u201cAt the same time, we\u2019ll defend our forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, the U.S. and Taliban agreed earlier this year <\/a>to stop specifically targeting each other, and no U.S. troops have been killed in Taliban attacks since February<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What goes on between the Taliban and Afghan security forces is another matter, and critics have pointed out that as the U.S. reduces its troop presence in the country \u2015 and the president proclaims that everyone could be home by Christmas<\/a> \u2015 Afghanistan remains as unstable as ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, the Trump administration set about 8,000 troops as its benchmark to remain in Afghanistan after a peace deal, but that number wound down to about 4,000 this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re down to 4,000 troops in Afghanistan,\u201d President Donald Trump said Oct. 8 in an interview with Fox Business Channel. \u201cI\u2019ll have them home by the end of the year. They\u2019re coming home, you know, as we speak. Nineteen years is enough. They\u2019re acting as policemen, OK? They\u2019re not acting as troops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A best-case scenario timeline, per the peace talks in Qatar, would have had troops out of the country later in spring 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite Trump\u2019s assertions, every single U.S. military leader has stressed that a full withdrawal from the country is based on conditions<\/a>, and one of those is a long-term reduction in violence from the Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf the violence goes up, it\u2019s going to make it very, very difficult to come to any solution in Doha, which is exactly what this country needs,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n