FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is pictured during a wreathlaying ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, November 19, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on Monday that any future troop drawdowns in Afghanistan were "not necessarily" linked to a deal with Taliban insurgents, suggesting some lowering of force levels may happen irrespective of the ongoing peace push.
The remarks by Esper in an interview with Reuters came on the heels of a Thanksgiving trip last week to Afghanistan by President Donald Trump, who spoke of potential troop reductions and said he believed the Taliban insurgency would agree to a ceasefire in the 18-year-old war.
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