Taleban claim half of US troops to leave by May 1

Peace talks with the Taleban continue, but (the Defence Department) has not received a directive to change the force structure in Afghanistan Col. Rob Manning,

Pentagon spokesman

moscow — A Taleban official said on Wednesday that the United States has promised to withdraw half of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of April, but the US military said it has received no orders to begin packing up.

Taleban official Abdul Salam Hanafi, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Moscow between prominent Afghan figures and Taleban representatives, said officials promised the pullout will begin this month.

“The Americans told us that from the beginning of February to the end of April, half of the troops from Afghanistan will be withdrawn,” Hanafi said.

However, Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said American defence officials had not received orders to start withdrawing.

“Peace talks with the Taleban continue, but (the Defence Department) has not received a directive to change the force structure in Afghanistan,” Manning said.

Hanafi said both the US and the Taleban would create technical committees that “will work on a timetable for the withdrawal of remaining troops”.

Pentagon officials say they have no orders to withdraw troops.

But in anticipation of such an order in the future, military planners have been considering plans for how a pullout might be conducted.