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General Miller discussed the troop reductions on Monday at a news conference in Kabul.
周一，米勒將軍在喀布爾舉行的新聞發布會上討論了撤軍問題。
Other American and Afghan officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the plan,
其他美國和阿富汗官員，為討論該計劃的細節，他們均要求匿名，
said that the eventual force size could drop to as low as 8,600 —
據他們透露，部隊規模最終可能縮減至8600人以下，
roughly the size of an initial reduction envisioned in a draft agreement with the Taliban before Mr. Trump halted peace talks last month.
大致相當于上個月停止和平談判之前，特朗普與塔利班達成的一份初步協議草案中設想的削減規模。
Rather than issuing a formal withdrawal order, they are reducing the force gradually by not replacing troops that cycle out.
他們沒有發布正式的撤軍命令，而是以不替換換走的部隊的形式在逐步減少兵力。
A senior Afghan official said the Afghan government had signed off on the reduction.
一名阿富汗高級官員表示，阿富汗政府已經簽署了削減協議。
Officials would not discuss other details of the drawdown, including any specific timeline for it.
官員們不愿討論撤軍的其他細節，包括任何具體的時間表。
The confirmation of the troop reduction came as the American defense secretary, Mark T. Esper, was making a visit to Afghanistan.
美國國防部長馬克·T.埃斯珀訪問阿富汗之行證實了撤軍消息。
Earlier in his visit, Mr. Esper had seemed to allude to some potential reduction in American forces,
訪問之初，埃斯珀疑似已經暗示美國可能撤軍阿富汗，
saying that drawing down to 8,600 troops would not affect important counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan.
他表示，將駐阿美軍削減到8600人并不會影響美國在阿富汗的重要反恐行動。
For months, there has been debate within the Trump administration on meeting the president’s goal
幾個月來，特朗普政府內部一直在討論如何實現總統的目標，
of stopping what he has described as open-ended American military entanglements in foreign conflicts.
停止他所謂的用武力無休無止地糾纏于外國沖突的做法。
Amid the president’s growing frustration,
總統的挫敗感日益強烈，
diplomats negotiating a peace deal in Afghanistan dangled troop reductions before the Taliban,
盡管長期以來塔利班一直要求美國徹底撤出阿富汗，
which has long demanded a complete American troop withdrawal.
率先提出削減駐軍規模這一條件的卻是負責在阿和談的美方外交官。
The decision to reduce American troops even without a deal
官員們表示，在尚未達成協議之際決定縮減駐軍
does not just give the United States less leverage over the terms of any settlement with the Taliban.
不僅會讓美國喪失在與塔利班達成協議，無論是何種協議，擬定協議條款時的主動權，
It is also likely to mean a significant shift away from the United States military’s longstanding mission of training the Afghan military
還可能意味著在美國官員專注于反恐行動的關頭，
as American officials concentrate on counterterrorism operations, officials said.
美國軍方訓練阿富汗軍隊這一長期任務或許也將發生重大轉變。
Reducing the number of troops ahead of a complete departure from the country
在完全撤離阿富汗之前削減駐軍規模
was always the most important American bargaining chip in any negotiations with the Taliban to end the long war.
一直是美方在同塔利班協商結束這一曠日持久的戰爭的談判中最為重要的籌碼。
But from the start, Mr. Trump made it abundantly clear that he wanted out of Afghanistan.
然而，從一開始，特朗普就已經非常明確地表示，他想從阿富汗撤軍。
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