Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Monday he was encouraged by US peace talks with Afghan Taliban insurgents but added he had not yet been tasked with planning a full withdrawal of troops from the more than 17-year-old war.
"Really the takeaway right now (is): it's encouraging," Shanahan told reporters outside the Pentagon, ahead of talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Shanahan said he had been briefed on the talks.
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console.log("catid body is "+catID);if(catID==120){document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){ document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }Taliban officials said US negotiators on Saturday agreed on a draft peace pact setting out the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 18 months. A US official, however, said a timeline had not been discussed.
Asked whether he had been tasked with planning a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, Shanahan said: "I have not."
