President Trump told his military and national security advisers he wants to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan over concerns about a coronavirus outbreak in the country, according to a report.
Two current officials and a former senior official told NBC News that Trump has expressed frustration almost daily with how U.S. troops are still in the war-torn country and are now vulnerable to the virus.
Military advisers have told Trump that, under that standard, the Pentagon would also have to pull troops from places such as Italy, which has the highest reported death toll.
“There is concern from a variety of places that we could leave Afghanistan,” a senior U.S. official told the network, citing concerns from U.S. allies, military officials, and members of Congress.
A senior administration official and a defense official said removing troops from Afghanistan because of the health crisis has been under discussion but that it’s more likely that U.S. forces would consolidate at certain bases.
As of Monday, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health reported more than 1,700 cases of the coronavirus and 57 deaths. U.S. defense officials believe the number of cases have been underreported and that there could be as many as 10 times as many cases.
“Afghanistan is going to have a significant coronavirus issue,” a former senior U.S. official told NBC News. “It hasn’t really manifested yet, but it will.”
U.S. forces were already beginning to withdraw from Afghanistan.
“U.S. Forces Afghanistan continues to draw down force levels and expects to be at 8,600 U.S. troops in 135 days (mid-July) in accordance with the U.S.-Taliban agreement. USFOR-A remains committed to supporting our Afghan partners throughout the process and maintains the capabilities and authorities necessary to accomplish our objectives,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Pentagon spokesman.
