U.S.-Taliban Deal Could See Troops Withdraw From Afghanistan

After U.S. President Donald Trump and Afghan leaders may have reached a deal about the U.S. withdrawing troops from the central Asian country, discussion about the ongoing efforts of the U.S. military overseas have been renewed. The Taliban said that if the U.S. troops would leave, they would in turn ensure that the country wouldn't be used as a base for terrorists again in the future. The tentative deal would include the U.S. withdrawing more than 5,000 of the approximately 14,000 troops currently stationed in Afghanistan within 20 weeks. Trump has backpedaled on his idea to withdraw all of U.S. troops in the country within a given time frame.

In the past and during the current deployment, the Army has provided the brunt of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, according to figures provided by the Department of Defense. In 2011 and in 2015 Army personnel made up more than half of the total deployment - all other branches (active duty and reserve), National Guard and civilian employees combined. Starting in 2018, exact numbers were not reported anymore, but troop levels are believed to currently remain at around 14,000.