{"id":58508,"date":"2019-01-28T17:49:16","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T17:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/28\/no-troop-withdrawal-planned-yet-as-afghan-peace-plan-advances\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:55:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:55:20","slug":"no-troop-withdrawal-planned-yet-as-afghan-peace-plan-advances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/01\/28\/no-troop-withdrawal-planned-yet-as-afghan-peace-plan-advances\/","title":{"rendered":"No troop withdrawal planned yet as Afghan peace plan advances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pentagon has been briefed on the potential peace agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, talks that could lead to the eventual withdrawal<\/a> of U.S. forces, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shanahan said he was encouraged by that tentative agreement, first reported by the New York Times, but he added that it was not far enough along that the Pentagon had received taskings to plan for any potential drawdown<\/a> of troops. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who was in Washington with U.S. representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchinson, also told reporters it was premature to talk about a reduction in forces there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it is a bit too early to speculate,” Stoltenberg said. “What we have to do now is to support the efforts to try to find a peaceful solution. We strongly support those efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t