Top Pentagon Official Visits Afghanistan Amid Push for Peace

U.S. Army from NATO and Afghan commando forces are pictured at a checkpoint during a patrol against ISIS soldiers at the Deh Bala district in the eastern province of Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan on July 7, 2018, Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

A top Pentagon official took an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Feb. 11 to meet with U.S. commanders and Afghan leaders amid a renewed push for peace with the Taliban as the Trump administration seeks to end the 17-year-war—the longest in the history of the United States.

So far there have been no direct orders to reduce U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to Patrick Shanahan, the recently installed acting secretary of defense who made the visit. Officials say the withdrawal of troops is at the top of the Taliban’s list of demands in exploratory peace negotiations.