{"id":21481,"date":"2020-10-08T18:36:02","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T18:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/10\/08\/taliban-cheer-trump-tweet-promising-early-us-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:57:08","slug":"taliban-cheer-trump-tweet-promising-early-us-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/10\/08\/taliban-cheer-trump-tweet-promising-early-us-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Military officials blindsided by Trump announcement of early US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. military was blindsided Thursday by President Donald Trump\u2019s assertion that all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/10\/07\/trump-us-will-be-out-of-afghanistan-by-christmas\/\" target=_blank>U.S. troops will be out of Afghanistan <\/a>by the end of the year, with U.S. officials saying they are not aware of such a plan and have gotten no actual order to accelerate the more gradual pullout they\u2019ve been executing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s comments, laid out in a confusing progression of comments and a tweet, alarmed Pentagon and State officials who fear that putting a definitive date on troop withdrawal could undercut negotiations to finalize a peace deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government. They also fear a hasty withdrawal could force the U.S. to leave behind sensitive military equipment. And they continue to stress that the Taliban has still not met requirements to reduce violence against the Afghans, a key element of the U.S. withdrawal plan.<\/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\/2020\/06\/10\/heres-what-the-centcom-commander-says-about-the-possibility-of-syria-afghanistan-withdrawals\/\" 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\/GettyImages-1195703457.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\">Here\u2019s what the CENTCOM commander says about the possibility of Syria, Afghanistan withdrawals<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Withdrawing from Syria will \u201cultimately be a political decision,\u201d while Afghanistan drawdown timeline depends on how Taliban act in coming months.<\/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\">The Taliban welcomed Trump\u2019s announcements, which started with a tweet Wednesday saying \u201cwe should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas.\u201d He reinforced early withdrawal plans Thursday morning, in a Fox Business Channel interview that understated the number of troops currently in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re down to 4,000 troops in Afghanistan. I\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 Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Multiple U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive troop details, said they know of no plan for either new deadline. Instead, they pointed to comments Wednesday by National Security Adviser Robert O\u2019Brien, who told an audience in Las Vegas that \u201cas of today, there are under 5,000 and that will go to 2,500 by early next year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. officials said troop numbers have not yet been reduced to 4,500, but will hit that goal in November as planned. The military has also consistently said that counterterrorism troops would remain in Afghanistan for some time to deal with al-Qaida and Islamic State threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A senior Trump administration official said Trump, with his tweet, laid down a marker Wednesday on U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and since he is the commander in chief, the rest of the administration will follow his lead. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of troop withdrawals.<\/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\/2020\/06\/10\/taliban-have-not-yet-met-conditions-for-american-troop-withdrawal-says-the-top-us-general-in-the-mideast\/\" 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\/AP20031434250955.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\">Taliban have not yet met conditions for complete troop withdrawal, says the top US general in the Mideast<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, stressed that going to zero troops by May is dependent on conditions.<\/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\">This is not the first time, however, that Trump has upended military policies or troop withdrawal plans with an abrupt tweet, only to be persuaded to adjust his thinking or give the military more time to execute a more deliberate approach. Trump\u2019s demand to pull all troops out of Syria, for example, was eventually changed, and there are still less than 1,000 forces there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before Trump\u2019s latest pronouncement, the White House has refused to allow U.S. negotiators to base troop withdrawals on the signing of a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Instead, American diplomats and military officials were able to say only that withdrawals would be based on conditions on the ground, meaning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/19\/number-of-american-troops-in-afghanistan-drops-to-8600-as-taliban-make-big-changes-ahead-of-expected-talks\/\" target=_blank>a measurable reduction in Taliban attacks<\/a>, rather than any resolution to the country\u2019s long-running internal conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we need to see is that they\u2019re not going to allow al-Qaida to base there,\u201d said Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, in a September interview with NBC News. \u201cAnd that has just not yet been demonstrated to my satisfaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228464703.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Members of the Taliban delegation attend the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on Sept. 12, 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-46901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228464703.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228464703.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228464703.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228464703.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1228464703.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Taliban delegation attend the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on Sept. 12, 2020. (Karim Jaafar\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McKenzie and other military officials have also said that the drawdown must be done responsibly, and that moving faster will make it more difficult to get sensitive and critical American military equipment out of Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re not going to leave anything behind that somebody could use against us in another time and another place. So that\u2019s actually a huge logistics effort and it is continuing now,\u201d McKenzie said last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, asked about Trump\u2019s comments Thursday, did not say whether he had been alerted to the new deadlines. Instead, he said NATO and all allies will coordinate their efforts and \u201cmake decisions based on the conditions on the ground, because we think it is extremely important to continue to be committed to the future of Afghanistan.\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\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/09\/13\/expect-us-election-to-have-consequences-for-american-troops-overseas\/\" 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\/AP19332730320975.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\">Expect US election to have consequences for American troops overseas<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden both say they want to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan. But their approaches differ, and the outcome of the Nov. 3 election will have long-term consequences not only for U.S. troops, but for the wider region.<\/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\">America\u2019s exit from Afghanistan after 19 years was laid out in a February agreement Washington reached with the Taliban. That agreement said U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan in 18 months, provided the Taliban honored a commitment to fight terrorist groups, with most attention seemingly focused on the Islamic State group\u2019s affiliate in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed welcomed Trump\u2019s tweet as a positive step for the implementation of the U.S.-Taliban agreement. The Taliban, he said, are \u201ccommitted to the contents of the agreement and hope for good and positive relations with all countries, including the U.S., in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Taliban and the Afghan government-appointed negotiating team are holding peace talks in Doha, Qatar, but progress has been painfully slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Washington\u2019s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met Thursday in Pakistan with Gen. Austin Miller, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and Pakistan\u2019s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Qamar Jaaved Bajwa. Pakistan has helped shepherd the Taliban to the negotiating table and its role is seen as critical for lasting peace in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khalilzad has been keen to get both sides \u2014 particularly the Taliban \u2014 to sign on to a reduction in violence at least while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2020\/09\/13\/warring-afghans-meet-to-find-peace-after-decades-of-war\/\" target=_blank>the Qatar negotiations are underway<\/a> and until a permanent cease-fire can be negotiated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s likely Miller and Khalilzad were seeking the help of Pakistan\u2019s powerful military to press the Taliban, who have insisted on fighting Afghan security forces even as talks are taking place. The insurgents have kept a promise from February not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann and Matthew Lee in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TeCpoCcbv48?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"Hear Trump, Esper remarks on Taliban peace deal | Newsbreak\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pentagon and State officials fear that putting a definitive date on troop withdrawal could undercut negotiations to finalize a peace deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":46896,"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":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1354,2179],"class_list":["post-21481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"LOFBP5NRQZEX3M62Z3VYO6MY2M","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/10\/08\/taliban-cheer-trump-tweet-promising-early-us-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"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>Military officials blindsided by Trump announcement of early US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pentagon and State officials fear that putting a definitive date on troop withdrawal could undercut negotiations to finalize a peace deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government.\" \/>\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=\"Military officials blindsided by Trump announcement of early US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pentagon and State officials fear that putting a definitive date on troop withdrawal could undercut negotiations to finalize a peace deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/10\/08\/taliban-cheer-trump-tweet-promising-early-us-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-08T18:36:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T05:57:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press, Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lolita C. 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