General Kenneth McKenzie, Head of the United States (US) Central Command, on June 18, said that the US has reduced its troop level to 8,600 in Afghanistan, fulfilling the first phase of the planned withdrawal specified in the US-Taliban deal signed in Doha, Qatar in February, 2020, reports Tolo News. The withdrawal of the US forces is a key part of the US-Taliban agreement, but US officials have emphasised that the troop pullout will be dependent on conditions on the ground. “What I would tell you now is we have met our part of the agreement,” McKenzie stated. “We agreed to go to the mid-8,000 range within 135 days. We’re at that number now”, he added.
Meanwhile, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)'s Chief, General Jens Stoltenberg on June 18 said:, "We are closer to real intra-Afghan negotiations now than I think we have ever been before. And I welcome that.”