US begins reducing troops in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan

The U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) has begun its conditions-based reduction of forces in Afghanistan, an official said.

In a statement on Monday, the USFOR-A spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said the reduction of troops is in line with the U.S.-Afghanistan joint declaration and the U.S.-Taliban agreement.

Late last month, the U.S. and Taliban inked a landmark peace deal laying out a timetable for a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The U.S. would reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 within 135 days and complete withdrawal within 14 months in line with the agreement, according to the joint