U.S. Department of Defense(CNN) - The United States has quietly reduced the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by 2,000 over the last year despite the lack of a peace deal with the Taliban, Gen. Scott Miller, the head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in a press conference in Kabul on Monday.
Prior to the reduction, the Pentagon publicly said that the U.S. military had about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, with the majority of those tasked with training local Afghan forces.
Speaking alongside Miller, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the reductions were in line with similar efficiency efforts that other U.S. military commands were undergoing.
While en route to Afghanistan, Esper told reporters that he was confident the U.S. could maintain its counterterrorism capability there with 8,600 troops.
Asked if the U.S. would reduce to that level without a deal with the Taliban, Esper said, "I don't want to get ahead of the diplomats on that front.