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ISIS spokesman Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari declared Ramadan as the month of jihad and asked the extremists to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the Caliphate.

Indian intelligence officials on alert as ISIS gives call for 'lone wolves' attacks worldwide 

ISIS spokesman Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari declared Ramadan as the month of jihad and asked the extremists to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the Caliphate.

The Islamic State terror group has called upon &lsquo;lone wolves&rsquo; worldwide to slaughter infidels en masse during the holy month of Ramadan.
ISIS spokesman Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari declared Ramadan as the month of jihad and asked the extremists to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the &ldquo;Caliphate&rdquo; by carrying out massacres across the globe.
Notably, ISIS rebranded itself in 2024 during Ramadan.
Al-Ansari made the 41-minute video posted on the messaging app Telegram, which multiple outlets in the UK first reported.
&ldquo;It is a religious ideological war that will continue until we kill their antichrist under the banner of the Prophet of Allah&hellip; tighten the plans and diversify operations: Blow them up with explosives, burn them with incendiary bombs, shoot them with bullets, slaughter their necks with knives, and run them over with buses,&rdquo; he said in his audio message.
The call was to attack and kill as many Christians and Jews as possible during the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on April 9.
He also heaped praise on Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) for the Moscow concert hall terror attack that killed at least 143 civilians.
Meanwhile, the Times of India newspaper has reported that Indian intelligence has sounded alert and is said to be monitoring the situation closely.&nbsp;
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The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.

Top Islamic State leader killed in US 'MQ-9 Reaper drones' strike, claim officials

The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.

A US drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defence Department.
Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a US defence official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who was not authorised to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation.
The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.
It was not immediately clear how the US military confirmed that the person killed was al-Muhajir; no other details were provided.
In a statement Sunday, US Central Command said there are no indications any civilians were killed in the strike. The military was assessing reports a civilian may have been injured.
Friday was the third day in a row that US officials complained that Russian fighter jets in the region had conducted unsafe and harassing flights around American drones.
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Watch: Russian fighter jets harass US drones during mission against Islamic State

In a statement, the US said one of the Russian pilots moved their aircraft in front of a drone and engaged the SU-35's afterburner, which greatly increases its speed and air pressure.

Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several US drone aircraft over Syria, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive manoeuvres, the Air Force said.
US Air Forces Central released a video of the encounter that took place on Wednesday, showing a Russian SU-35 fighter closing in on a Reaper, and later showed a number of the so-called parachute flares moving into the drone's flight path. The flares are attached to parachutes.
Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, commander of 9th Air Force in the Middle East, said three of the US drones were operating over Syria after 10:30 am local time, on a mission against the Islamic State group which was not detailed, when three of the Russian aircraft "began harassing the drones".
The jet blast from the afterburner can potentially damage the Reaper's electronics, and Grynkewich said it reduced the drone operator's ability to safely operate the aircraft.
"Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behaviour while interacting with US aircraft in Syria," he said, adding that the actions threaten the safety of the US and Russian forces. "We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behaviour and adhere to the standards of behaviour expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS." Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, said in a statement that Russia's violation of ongoing efforts to clear the airspace over Syria "increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation".
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About 900 US forces are deployed to Syria to work with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces battling the Islamic State militants there. No other details about the drone operation were provided, and it's not clear where over Syria the incidents took place.&nbsp;

The Islamic State group confirmed for the first time on Thursday that its leader was killed in a US strike in Syria last month and named his successor.
It was the first official comment from the militant group about its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi death. US officials said he blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in Syrian town of Atmeh on February 3.
In an audio message released on Thursday, an IS spokesman confirmed the death of the leader, as well as that of the group's former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the raid.
Al-Muhajer also said that IS has named a successor to the former leader, identifying him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS chief has chosen him as the next caliph.
In the US raid, about 50 U.S. special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria's civil war.

Islamic State confirms leader was killed in US strike, terror group names new chief

The Islamic State group confirmed for the first time on Thursday that its leader was killed in a US strike in Syria last month and named his successor.
It was the first official comment from the militant group about its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi death. US officials said he blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in Syrian town of Atmeh on February 3.
In an audio message released on Thursday, an IS spokesman confirmed the death of the leader, as well as that of the group's former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the raid.
Al-Muhajer also said that IS has named a successor to the former leader, identifying him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS chief has chosen him as the next caliph.

US said&nbsp;ISIS leader blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in Syria&nbsp;on February 3

The Islamic State group confirmed for the first time on Thursday that its leader was killed in a US strike in Syria last month and named his successor.
It was the first official comment from the militant group about its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi death. US officials said he blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in Syrian town of Atmeh on February 3.
In an audio message released on Thursday, an IS spokesman confirmed the death of the leader, as well as that of the group's former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the raid.
Al-Muhajer also said that IS has named a successor to the former leader, identifying him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS chief has chosen him as the next caliph.
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In the US raid, about 50 U.S. special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria's civil war.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of the Islamic State group was killed on Thursday, blowing himself up along with members of his family during an overnight raid carried out by US special operations forces in northwestern Syria. 
A veteran militant since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he took the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi when he took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid. It was up to him to lead the group's remnants as they regrouped following the downfall of their caliphate and shifted underground to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria.
His death comes as IS militants, after years of low-level hit-and-run ambushes, had begun to carry out bolder, higher profile attacks. Last month, its fighters attacked a prison in northeast Syria to free their jailed comrades, leading to a 10 day battle with Kurdish-led forces that left some 500 dead.
His real name was Amir Mohammed Saeed Abdul-Rahman al-Mawla, an Iraqi in his mid-40s, born in 1976 and believed to be an ethnic Turkman from the northern Iraqi town of Tel Afar. He held a degree in Islamic law from the University of Mosul.
His adoption of the nickname al-Qurayshi when he became IS' “caliph”, suggested that he, like his predecessor, claimed links to the tribe of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
Al-Qurayshi began his militant work shortly after former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power. A year after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, al-Qurayshi joined al-Qaida in Iraq, run by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Al-Qurayshi was arrested by US troops in Mosul in 2004, where he was held for two years. During his imprisonment, he became al-Baghdadi's top security henchman.
Following al-Zarqawi's death in a US strike in 2006, al-Qurayshi became a senior official with the al-Qaida affiliate's successor group, the Islamic State in Iraq, which under al-Baghdadi transformed into the Islamic State group.
When IS overran much of northern and eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared its caliphate in 2014, al-Qurayshi became a senior official in the leadership. As the group's caliphate crumbled in the years-long war with a US-led coalition in both Iraq and Syria, he went into hiding. 

Who was Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the ISIS leader who blew himself up in US raid

A veteran militant since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid.

Who was Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the Islamic State leader killed in US raid

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of the Islamic State group was killed on Thursday, blowing himself up along with members of his family during an overnight raid carried out by US special operations forces in northwestern Syria.&nbsp;
A veteran militant since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid. It was up to him to lead the group's remnants as they regrouped following the downfall of their caliphate and shifted underground to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria.
His death comes as IS militants, after years of low-level hit-and-run ambushes, had begun to carry out bolder, higher profile attacks. Last month, its fighters attacked a prison in northeast Syria to free their jailed comrades, leading to a 10 day battle with Kurdish-led forces that left some 500 dead.
Al-Qurayshi began his militant work shortly after former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power. A year after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, al-Qurayshi joined al-Qaida in Iraq, run by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Al-Qurayshi was arrested by US troops in Mosul in 2004, where he was held for two years. During his imprisonment, he became al-Baghdadi's top security henchman.
Following al-Zarqawi's death in a US strike in 2006, al-Qurayshi became a senior official with the al-Qaida affiliate's successor group, the Islamic State in Iraq, which under al-Baghdadi transformed into the Islamic State group.
When IS overran much of northern and eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared its caliphate in 2014, al-Qurayshi became a senior official in the leadership. As the group's caliphate crumbled in the years-long war with a US-led coalition in both Iraq and Syria, he went into hiding.&nbsp;

A veteran militant since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid.

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of the Islamic State group was killed on Thursday, blowing himself up along with members of his family during an overnight raid carried out by US special operations forces in northwestern Syria.&nbsp;
A veteran militant since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he took the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi when he took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid. It was up to him to lead the group's remnants as they regrouped following the downfall of their caliphate and shifted underground to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria.
His death comes as IS militants, after years of low-level hit-and-run ambushes, had begun to carry out bolder, higher profile attacks. Last month, its fighters attacked a prison in northeast Syria to free their jailed comrades, leading to a 10 day battle with Kurdish-led forces that left some 500 dead.
His real name was Amir Mohammed Saeed Abdul-Rahman al-Mawla, an Iraqi in his mid-40s, born in 1976 and believed to be an ethnic Turkman from the northern Iraqi town of Tel Afar. He held a degree in Islamic law from the University of Mosul.
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His adoption of the nickname al-Qurayshi when he became IS' &ldquo;caliph&rdquo;, suggested that he, like his predecessor, claimed links to the tribe of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
Al-Qurayshi began his militant work shortly after former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power. A year after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, al-Qurayshi joined al-Qaida in Iraq, run by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Al-Qurayshi was arrested by US troops in Mosul in 2004, where he was held for two years. During his imprisonment, he became al-Baghdadi's top security henchman.
Following al-Zarqawi's death in a US strike in 2006, al-Qurayshi became a senior official with the al-Qaida affiliate's successor group, the Islamic State in Iraq, which under al-Baghdadi transformed into the Islamic State group.
When IS overran much of northern and eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared its caliphate in 2014, al-Qurayshi became a senior official in the leadership. As the group's caliphate crumbled in the years-long war with a US-led coalition in both Iraq and Syria, he went into hiding.&nbsp;

The Pentagon said on Saturday that US has carried out drone strike against Islamic State 'planner' in Afghanistan.
US killed an Islamic State planner in Afghanistan in retaliation for Thursday's suicide bombing in Kabul.
Spokesman for US Central Command, Captain Bill Urban, said that &lsquo;US military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation against an ISIS-K planner&rsquo;. Providing further details he said the unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan and that as per &lsquo;initial indications&rsquo; they have &lsquo;killed the target&rsquo;. He also stated that there was no information on any civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, US has also asked its citizens to leave Kabul airport gates 'immediately'.
Also Read&nbsp;US on alert for more attacks in Kabul as deadline for evacuation nears
ISIS-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State group, has said it was responsible for the suicide attack outside Kabul's airport which killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 US soldiers.
President Joe Biden&nbsp;had vowed revenge on the ISIS group that&nbsp;attacked&nbsp;the Kabul Airport saying US will 'hunt you down and make you pay'&nbsp;
United States forces in Kabul are on alert for more attacks after the suicide bombing at Kabul airport. US has intel of possible rocket or car bombs targeting the airport, news agency Reuters has reported.

US airstrike targets IS after Kabul airport attack, tells citizens 'leave immediately'

U.S. has carried out drone strike against Islamic State 'planner' in Afghanistan in retaliation of Thursday's Kabul attack

U.S. airstrike targets IS after Kabul airport attack, tells citizens 'leave immediately'

US has carried out drone strike against IS 'planner' in Afghanistan
US targets Islamic State after deadly Kabul airport attack on Thursday
Pentagon confirmed&nbsp;over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation in Nangahar
US has asked its citizens to leave Kabul airport gates 'immediately'
Kabul's airport killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 US soldiers
'Will hunt you down and make you pay: US President Biden&nbsp;vowed revenge
United States forces in Kabul are on alert for more attacks&nbsp;

US has carried out drone strike against Islamic State 'planner' in Afghanistan in retaliation of Thursday's Kabul attack

The Pentagon said on Saturday that US has carried out drone strike against Islamic State 'planner' in Afghanistan.
US killed an Islamic State planner in Afghanistan in retaliation for Thursday's suicide bombing in Kabul.
Spokesman for US Central Command, Captain Bill Urban, said that &lsquo;US military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation against an ISIS-K planner&rsquo;. Providing further details he said the unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan and that as per &lsquo;initial indications&rsquo; they have &lsquo;killed the target&rsquo;. He also stated that there was no information on any civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, US has also asked its citizens to leave Kabul airport gates 'immediately'.
Also Read&nbsp;<a href="https://www.editorji.com/story/us-on-alert-for-more-attacks-in-kabul-as-deadline-for-evacuation-nears-1630085285939" target="_blank">US on alert for more attacks in Kabul as deadline for evacuation nears</a>
ISIS-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State group, has said it was responsible for the suicide attack outside Kabul's airport which killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 US soldiers.
President Joe Biden&nbsp;had vowed revenge on the ISIS group that&nbsp;attacked&nbsp;the Kabul Airport saying US will 'hunt you down and make you pay'&nbsp;
United States forces in Kabul are on alert for more attacks after the suicide bombing at Kabul airport. National Security team met US President and warned of "an ongoing and acute threat from ISIS-K"

Taliban cheer Trump tweet promising early troop withdrawal 

AP, Islamabad: The Afghan Taliban on Thursday welcomed a tweet from President Donald Trump in which he promised to have the last of U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by Christmas &mdash; or at least by the end of the year.
If that withdrawal happens, it would be months ahead of schedule and the tweet made no reference to a Taliban promise to fight terrorist groups &mdash; a previous pre-requisite for an American withdrawal.
In a tweet that seemed to contradicted his national security adviser, Trump said &ldquo;we should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas.&rdquo; On Wednesday, National Security Adviser Robert O"Brien, speaking of American forces in Afghanistan, told an audience in Las Vegas that "as of today, there are under 5,000 and that will go to 2,500 by early next year.&rdquo; Yet when asked about his tweet, Trump told Fox Business Channel: &ldquo;We're down to 4,000 troops in Afghanistan. I'll have them home by the end of the year. They're coming home, you know, as we speak. Nineteen years is enough. They're acting as policemen, OK? They're not acting as troops.&rdquo; America's exit from Afghanistan after 19 years was laid out in an agreement Washington reached with the Taliban in February.
However, that agreement said U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan in 18 months, provided the Taliban honored a commitment to fight terrorist groups, with most attention seemingly focused on the Islamic State group's affiliate in the country.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said Trump's statement was welcome and he considered it a positive step for the implementation of the peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban.
The Taliban are &ldquo;committed to the contents of the agreement and hope for good and positive relations with all countries, including the U.S, in the future,&rdquo; he said.
Trump's surprise tweet late Wednesday came as the Taliban and the Afghan government-appointed negotiating team are holding historic peace talks in Doha, Qatar.
Those talks have been painfully slow as both sides have become bogged down on the intricacies of how they would go forward with reaching an agreement.
Weeks have been spent discussing Islamic jurisprudence and how it will impact negotiations.
Still, both sides have stayed at the negotiating table even as Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad last week returned to the region. Little information of substance has emerged from the talks.
On Thursday, Khalilzad was in Pakistan with Gen. Austin Miller, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, meeting with Pakistan's Army Chief of Staff Gen. Qamar Jaaved Bajwa. Pakistan has helped shepherd the Taliban to the negotiating table and its role is seen as critical for lasting peace in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate information about the purpose of Thursday's meeting but Khalilzad has been keen to get both sides &mdash; particularly the Taliban &mdash; to sign on to a reduction in violence at least while the Qatar negotiations are underway and until a permanent cease-fire can be negotiated.
It's likely Miller and Khalilzad were seeking the help of Pakistan's powerful military to press the Taliban, who have insisted on fighting Afghan security forces even as talks are taking place &mdash; though the insurgents have kept a promise from February not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.
The Taliban have never detailed the commitments they made in the February peace agreement with the U.S. to fight terrorists and Washington has refused to give details, citing security concerns.
Even as the warring sides meet in Doha to map out what a post-conflict Afghanistan might look like, Washington and NATO have already begun reducing their troop numbers. Washington is now down to under 5,000 troops from an estimated 13,000 when it signed the agreement with the Taliban on February 29.
Trump's comments caught most Afghan observers by surprise and the Afghan government did not immediately respond to to the tweet.
This is not the first time Trump has undercut the Pentagon with announcements about troop strength in Afghanistan. He previously has publicly announced American troop strength without vetting by the Pentagon, which has not yet responded to Trump's tweet.
Trump has long promised to end U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and the agreement with the Taliban does not require the two Afghan sides reach a deal before Washington withdraws.

The Afghan Taliban on Thursday welcomed a tweet from President Donald Trump in which he promised to have the last of US troops out of Afghanistan by Christmas &mdash; or at least by the end of the year. If that withdrawal happens, it would be months ahead of schedule and the tweet made no reference to a Taliban promise to fight terrorist groups &mdash; a previous pre-requisite for an American withdrawal. In a tweet that seemed to contradicted his national security adviser, Trump said &ldquo;we should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas.&rdquo;

AP, Islamabad: The Afghan Taliban on Thursday welcomed a tweet from President Donald Trump in which he promised to have the last of U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by Christmas &mdash; or at least by the end of the year.
If that withdrawal happens, it would be months ahead of schedule and the tweet made no reference to a Taliban promise to fight terrorist groups &mdash; a previous pre-requisite for an American withdrawal.
In a tweet that seemed to contradicted his national security adviser, Trump said &ldquo;we should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas.&rdquo; On Wednesday, National Security Adviser Robert O"Brien, speaking of American forces in Afghanistan, told an audience in Las Vegas that "as of today, there are under 5,000 and that will go to 2,500 by early next year.&rdquo; Yet when asked about his tweet, Trump told Fox Business Channel: &ldquo;We're down to 4,000 troops in Afghanistan. I'll have them home by the end of the year. They're coming home, you know, as we speak. Nineteen years is enough. They're acting as policemen, OK? They're not acting as troops.&rdquo; America's exit from Afghanistan after 19 years was laid out in an agreement Washington reached with the Taliban in February.
However, that agreement said U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan in 18 months, provided the Taliban honored a commitment to fight terrorist groups, with most attention seemingly focused on the Islamic State group's affiliate in the country.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said Trump's statement was welcome and he considered it a positive step for the implementation of the peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban.
The Taliban are &ldquo;committed to the contents of the agreement and hope for good and positive relations with all countries, including the U.S, in the future,&rdquo; he said.
Trump's surprise tweet late Wednesday came as the Taliban and the Afghan government-appointed negotiating team are holding historic peace talks in Doha, Qatar.
Those talks have been painfully slow as both sides have become bogged down on the intricacies of how they would go forward with reaching an agreement.
Weeks have been spent discussing Islamic jurisprudence and how it will impact negotiations.
Still, both sides have stayed at the negotiating table even as Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad last week returned to the region. Little information of substance has emerged from the talks.
On Thursday, Khalilzad was in Pakistan with Gen. Austin Miller, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, meeting with Pakistan's Army Chief of Staff Gen. Qamar Jaaved Bajwa. Pakistan has helped shepherd the Taliban to the negotiating table and its role is seen as critical for lasting peace in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate information about the purpose of Thursday's meeting but Khalilzad has been keen to get both sides &mdash; particularly the Taliban &mdash; to sign on to a reduction in violence at least while the Qatar negotiations are underway and until a permanent cease-fire can be negotiated.
It's likely Miller and Khalilzad were seeking the help of Pakistan's powerful military to press the Taliban, who have insisted on fighting Afghan security forces even as talks are taking place &mdash; though the insurgents have kept a promise from February not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.
The Taliban have never detailed the commitments they made in the February peace agreement with the U.S. to fight terrorists and Washington has refused to give details, citing security concerns.
Even as the warring sides meet in Doha to map out what a post-conflict Afghanistan might look like, Washington and NATO have already begun reducing their troop numbers. Washington is now down to under 5,000 troops from an estimated 13,000 when it signed the agreement with the Taliban on February 29.
Trump's comments caught most Afghan observers by surprise and the Afghan government did not immediately respond to to the tweet.
This is not the first time Trump has undercut the Pentagon with announcements about troop strength in Afghanistan. He previously has publicly announced American troop strength without vetting by the Pentagon, which has not yet responded to Trump's tweet.
Trump has long promised to end U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and the agreement with the Taliban does not require the two Afghan sides reach a deal before Washington withdraws.

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