US starts troop pullout, seeks end to Afghan leaders’ feud

By KATHY GANNON and RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says it has begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

That’s according to a statement by a U.S. military spokesman in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Tuesday.

It’s a step forward on the Trump administration’s peace deal with the Taliban. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also praised the Afghan president for promising to stop dragging his feet on a Taliban prisoner release.

The next step is intra-Afghan talks between all factions including the Taliban.

But the Afghan government is in disarray over who actually won last year’s presidential election, and has yet to put together a negotiating team.

The incumbent president and his main rival held dueling inaugurations Monday.