Trump says U.S. will maintain presence in Afghanistan

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that U.S. forces would remain in Afghanistan even if Washington reached an agreement with Taliban to end the 18-year war.

Trump said in an interview with Fox News radio that; “we are going to keep a presence there, we are reducing that presence very substantially and we are going to have high intelligence there.’’

Trump said U.S. forces in Afghanistan would be reduced to 8,600 and more than 14,000 U.S. service members are currently in Afghanistan, among whom about 5,000 are dedicated to counter-insurgency operations.

The Taliban said on Wednesday, said it was close to a final agreement with U.S. officials.

The agreement was on a deal that would see U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan in exchange for a pledge that the country would not become a haven for other Islamist militant groups.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha said “we hope to have good news soon for our Muslim, independence-seeking nation.’’

Both U.S. and Taliban negotiators have reported progress in their talks in recent weeks, raising the prospect of an end to the conflict.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for peace in Afghanistan, was due to travel from Doha to Kabul for a meeting with Afghan leaders.

The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and ousted its Taliban leaders after they refused to hand over members of the al Qaeda militant group behind the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

On Wednesday, top U.S. military officer, Gen. Joseph Dunford, told reporters that it was too early to talk about the future of U.S. counterterrorism forces in Afghanistan.

“I honestly think it’s premature to talk about what our counterterrorism presence in Afghanistan may or may not be without a better appreciation for what the conditions will be.’’