NATO has reaffirmed its commitment to the long-running Afghanistan mission and said it will ensure its deployment there remains “sustainable.”

Russia, China and Pakistan have called for an early resumption of negotiations between the United States and the Taliban to reach an agreement about ending the war in Afghanistan.

Four Afghan army special force members were killed and others wounded in a Taliban militants’ ambush attack in northern Takhar province Wednesday, local police said.

At least five Marines were wounded on Tuesday during a Taliban rocket attack on a military base in southern Afghanistan, according to three defense officials. The high number of casualties came a day after Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper visited the country.

The reduction, which officials say could gradually drop the number of troops by several thousand, is happening even without any deal with the Taliban.

A Taliban delegation reportedly met earlier this month with Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. The alleged gathering came during an official Taliban visit to Islamabad to meet with Pakistan officials.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary is inspiring his network of extremists and poses a renewed terror threat a year after he left jail, an analysis by experts has warned.

A total of 14 militants were confirmed dead as fighting planes struck a Taliban hideout in the beleaguered Darqad district of Afghanistan’s northern Takahr province, according to an army statement released here Tuesday.

The U.S. has begun winding down its troop presence in Afghanistan despite the lack of a working peace deal with Taliban forces, the top American commander in the country said Monday.

Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry says government forces have gained control of a district in the country’s north from the Taliban.