Washington (UNA-OIC) – The United States is conducting prudent planning to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 2021, a Pentagon official announced on Tuesday.



“I’d like to make it clear that [Defense Secretary Mark Esper] has not issued orders to reduce military personnel below this 4,000 to 5,000 level in Afghanistan, although we are conducting prudent planning to withdraw to zero service members by May 2021 if conditions warrant, per the US-Taliban agreement,” David Helvey, the official performing the duties of assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security at a hearing.



The United States began to reduce its military personnel in Afghanistan after the signing of a peace agreement with the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 29.