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Trump’s NSA says thousands of US forces will remain in Afghanistan beyond Christmas
US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said Friday that 2,500 American soldiers will remain in Afghanistan beyond Christmas, dismissing US President Donald Trump’s tweet stating that all American troops in Afghanistan should be home by Christmas.
O’Brien also took a swipe at US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, who in an interview with NPR on Sunday suggested that US National Security Advisor’s announcement about the withdrawal plan from Afghanistan was ‘speculation.’
Milley said anyone “can speculate as they see fit. I am not going to engage in speculation. I’m going to engage in the rigorous analysis of the situation based on the conditions and the plans that I am aware of and my conversations with the president. And then when we get to the point where we have further discussions and further decisions, those will be appropriately made public.”
About Milley’s remarks, O’Brien said: “It has been suggested by some that that’s speculation. I can guarantee you that’s the plan of the president of the United States.”
“That’s the order of the commander-in-chief, that’s not speculation,” he noted.
O’Brien stated that It is not his practice to speculate, “Other people can interpret what I say as speculation, but…When I’m speaking, I’m speaking for the president and I think that’s what the Pentagon is moving out and doing.”
Referring to Trump’s tweet saying that US troops should be home by Christmas, the US NSA said that Trump was “expressing the same desire” of every wartime president—to get troops home by Christmas.
In February, the US-brokered a deal with the Taliban in Doha that was conditions based and included the full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Since then troop levels have reduced from 13,000 to 8,600 with a further reduction to 4,500 expected by November.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced that it will continue providing its essential health services to the people of Afghanistan.
In a post on X, the organization, referring to Afghanistan’s health needs, said that over the past year it has been active in various health sectors across the country, ranging from maternal and child care to emergency response, as well as the treatment of patients suffering from tuberculosis and severe injuries.
According to MSF, its teams over the past year have been present at a range of health facilities, including neonatal intensive care units, operating theatres, surgical centers, and specialized tuberculosis treatment wards, where they have delivered life-saving services to patients.
The organization stressed that it will continue ensuring the provision of health services, particularly for needy families and vulnerable communities in remote areas of Afghanistan.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan, currently run by diplomats of the previous government, has announced that it will suspend its operations in Tokyo after the end of January 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, the embassy said the decision was made after consultations with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Japanese authorities, and in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The embassy added that after January 31, all of its political, economic, cultural, and consular activities will be halted until further notice.
Currently, Shaida Abdali is serving as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan.
Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting with Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the start of his mission.
The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post that the meeting included mutual exchanges of views on bilateral relations.
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