Esper stated that the United States had reduced its troop presence in Afghanistan from approximately 14,000 personnel to 8,600.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent, credible news sources (Military Times, PBS/AP, GlobalSecurity.org) reporting Esper's statement consistently. [tier=silver indep_score=0.833 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Secretary of Defense Engagement at RAND Corporation ( ... (seed:military_and_intelligence)
- https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/10/20/esper-says-reduction-of-american-forces-in-afghanistan-relies-on-a-peace-agreement-with-taliban/ (corroboration)
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/us-defense-chief-in-afghanistan-for-firsthand-look-at-war (corroboration)
- https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2019/10/mil-191020-rferl03.htm (corroboration)