For NATO troops in Afghanistan, the tentative end of US talks with the Taliban has had more impact than previously known. According to information from the dpa, it was envisaged that not only the US but also all other NATO partners would significantly reduce their troop presence in Afghanistan as part of an agreement with the radical Islamic insurgents.
If, for example, the US had withdrawn 30 percent of its soldiers from the NATO mission Resolute Support, Germany and other Allies would have withdrawn up to 30 percent of their soldiers.
Whether the plans for a troop reduction after the termination of talks by US President Donald Trump completely abandoned, was until recently unclear. Trump had said about two weeks ago that he considered the negotiations with the Taliban dead. Shortly before, another US soldier was killed in a car bomb attack in the Afghan capital Kabul.
At present, it is estimated that between 13,000 and 14,000 US soldiers are stationed in Afghanistan. Up to 8,475 of these were last involved in the NATO training mission. The remainder, among other things on the side of the Afghan armed forces, directly supports the anti-terrorist struggle in the country. Trump actually wanted to reduce US troop levels to around 8,600.
