UK to withdraw 330 troops from Afghanistan by mid of year

The UK has decided to withdraw 330 troops from Afghanistan by mid-July after they signed an agreement with the Taliban, Report says, citing RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the Pentagon said that the US had confirmed the beginning of the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan under agreements reached with the Taliban. US military forces in Afghanistan have begun reducing the number of troops to 8,600 within 135 days.

The Times notes that the US decided to withdraw 30 percent of its military contingent, reducing the number of troops from 12,000 to 8,600. Sources in the military sphere told the Times that Britain would reduce its personnel in the first stage in a similar proportion: 330 servicemen of the country's Armed Forces will be withdrawn from 1,100 military personnel deployed in Afghanistan. The main part of British troops is located in Kabul and its surroundings. A small number of British special forces are part of US forces in other areas, including southern Helmand province.

A military source told the newspaper that a second portion of the British military would leave Afghanistan if the Taliban prevented the country from becoming a "safe haven for terrorists" and respected human rights, and stipulated that they must demonstrate respect for women's rights.