MONITORING (SW) – The US military is expected to reduce troop levels in Afghanistan, a US general said on Friday, estimating the cuts may exceed 1,000 forces.
Army General Joseph Votel, the head of the US military’s Central Command, said the decision to reduce some of the roughly 14,000 American forces in Afghanistan was not linked to those peace efforts, Reuters reported. Instead, he said it was part of an effort by Army General Scott Miller, who took over the more than 17-year war effort in September, to make better use of US resources.
“This is something that he started as he got into the position here and was looking at how we (can) be as efficient and as effective as we can be on the ground,” Votel said in an interview with Reuters during a trip to Oman.
It was unclear how far along any troop reductions might already be. The Pentagon says US troop levels in Afghanistan are at around 14,000 but adds the number can fluctuate.
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