DefenceTalkDefenceTalkAfghan authorities said Monday they are investigating an air strike at the weekend which local officials say killed more than a dozen civilians, including children. Provincial officials said 15 people died on Saturday night when a rocket struck a house in Khashrod district of Nimroz province. “We are aware of claims of civilian casualties in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/afghanistan-probes-air-strike-that-killed-civilians-76662/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkNewly appointed Pentagon chief Christopher Miller signaled Saturday that he could accelerate the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East, saying, “It’s time to come home.” “All wars must end,” Miller, named acting defense secretary by President Donald Trump on Monday, said in his first message to the US armed services. He […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-us-defense-chief-tells-troops-time-to-come-home-76547/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkNATO insisted Thursday that its members would consult and decide together on when to leave Afghanistan, after US President Donald Trump vowed to bring American troops home by Christmas. Trump, trailing in polls ahead of the November 3 presidential election, made his surprise announcement on Twitter on Wednesday, dramatically speeding up the timeline for ending […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-chief-says-allies-will-leave-afghanistan-together-76461/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkPresident Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants all US troops to leave Afghanistan by Christmas, speeding up the timeline for ending America’s longest war. “We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!” Trump wrote on Twitter. In a February 29 agreement reached in Qatar […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-says-wants-us-troops-out-of-afghanistan-by-christmas-76450/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkBased on the current conditions in Afghanistan, the Defense Department expects there will be fewer than 5,000 U.S. military service members in that country by the end of November, said David F. Helvey, who is currently performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs. “We’ve long maintained that our force presence […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-dod-anticipates-significant-troop-reduction-in-afghanistan-76380/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump was expected to announce further troop withdrawals Wednesday from Afghanistan and from Iraq, where several thousand US troops hunting down jihadist sleeper cells have faced increasing attacks blamed on pro-Iran factions. The deadly bomb and rocket attacks have put additional pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who has pledged to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-to-announce-us-troop-withdrawals-from-iraq-afghanistan-76290/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe United States is counting on further military withdrawal from Afghanistan to potentially fewer than 5,000 troops as inter-Afghan peace talks progress, the Pentagon said Monday. “Over the next four months, the United States will continue to drawdown its force levels in Afghanistan based on conditions in-country,” the Department of Defense said in a statement. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-aims-5000-us-troops-in-afghanistan-76154/

DefenceTalkThe US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is considerably ahead of schedule, an official told AFP on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump reiterated calls for the Pentagon to bring troops home. The developments came as questions loomed over the next phase of Afghanistan’s long war following a historic, three-day ceasefire that led to a major drop […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-troop-pullout-from-afghanistan-ahead-of-schedule-75682/

DefenceTalkNATO’s US-led mission in Afghanistan is withholding key information about Taliban attacks, a US government watchdog said Friday, potentially making insights into the war harder just as the Pentagon slashes its troop presence. The Resolute Support (RS) mission previously disclosed data on “enemy-initiated attacks”, one of the few remaining public metrics of the conflict and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-withholds-key-information-on-taliban-attacks-watchdog-75352/

DefenceTalkAn Australian special forces soldier filmed shooting an unarmed Afghan man has been suspended from duty and the case referred to police, officials said. The Special Air Services (SAS) member, whose identity has not been made public, was seen shooting the Afghan man in 2012 in video filmed by another soldier and broadcast Monday by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/australian-police-probe-soldier-who-shot-unarmed-afghan-74897/