The U.S. military plans to cut its presence in Afghanistan by about 2,500 troops by the middle of 2006, the Pentagon said Tuesday, according to DPA. NATO's decision to expand its role into southern Afghanistan allowed the U.S. reduction, the Pentagon said. There are about 19,000 troops in Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom, launched in October 2001 against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in retaliation for the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The announcement comes a day after the first Afghan parliament in 30 years opened in Kabul and despite a year of heightened violence in the country. The U.S. military, however, has played down speculation of a resurgent Taliban movement.
