DUBAI—In an effort to keep U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani has told President Trump that the Kabul government is willing to discuss how to reduce the size and cost of maintaining America’s military presence in the country.
In a letter to Mr. Trump, a copy of which was obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Ghani also invited the president to visit Afghanistan “in the near future” to review U.S.-Afghan ties and “discuss a mutually beneficial path forward toward lasting peace and increased security for both of our countries and peoples.”
The letter, dated Monday, is the clearest indication yet of Mr. Ghani’s concern about the effects of a hasty and drastic American troop withdrawal on security in the country. It also reflects the most aggressive attempt to date by Mr. Ghani’s government to gain some sway over the rapidly moving Afghan peace process, which so far has focused on U.S.-Taliban talks led on the American side by special envoy and veteran U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad.
It wasn’t clear late Thursday whether Mr. Trump had received the letter, but it was dated two days after U.S. and Taliban negotiators concluded their most substantive round of talks yet aimed at reaching a deal to end the 17-year Afghan war. During six days of talks in the Gulf state of Qatar, the two sides forged a deal in principle on two vital points to end the war in Afghanistan, according to Mr. Khalilzad.
Mr. Khalilzad has disclosed no details publicly on what understandings were reached by the negotiators in Qatar, other than to say the U.S. was working with the Afghan government and others to get to a comprehensive cease-fire. But a person briefed by a Taliban participant in the talks said Washington agreed on the withdrawal of its approximately 14,000 troops from Afghanistan while the insurgents vowed to halt any terrorist attacks abroad from Afghan soil.
Afghan government representatives didn’t participate in the talks in Qatar, with the insurgents so far refusing to negotiate with the Kabul government, which they view as an American puppet. Senior Afghan officials say the exclusion of Afghan government representatives from the talks has frustrated and angered Mr. Ghani, who has insisted the peace process must be “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.”
Western diplomats in Kabul also say that Mr. Ghani is worried that a comprehensive peace deal will result in the formation of an interim administration in the country while new power-sharing arrangements are negotiated among representatives of the Taliban, the Afghan government, political parties and civil society groups.
In his letter to Mr. Trump, Mr. Ghani appears to acknowledge news reports in December that the president had ordered a withdrawal of about 7,000 U.S. military personnel from Afghanistan, about half of the overall American military presence in the country. Although the reports were later denied by the president’s National Security Council, worries among Afghan officials over a hasty pullout persist.
“While the Afghan government remains a steadfast and committed partner to the United States in the pursuit of our shared security and peace objectives, we are aware of the recent changes in the context of our relationships and a seeming shift in U.S. priorities and objectives in our country and the region,” Mr. Ghani writes.
In proposing a joint U.S.-Afghan government review on how to reduce the number and cost of U.S. troops and contractors in Afghanistan, Mr. Ghani makes no specific recommendations, saying only that the goal is “maximum effectiveness to aid efficiency.” He does, however, urge the reduction of American aid to Afghan civilians and the elimination of civilian aid programs administered through contractors.
Since 2002, the U.S. has provided more than $132 billion for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and spent as much as $800 billion fighting the war, according to the U.S. Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The Pentagon requested about $45 billion to fight the war this year.
Afghan fears about a U.S. withdrawal were bolstered in a report released by the inspector this week.
The Afghan government’s control over the country declined as of Oct. 31 last year, with 63.5% of the country’s estimated 35 million people living in areas under Afghan government control or influence, down 1.7 percentage points from the end of the third quarter. The population living in contested areas increased to 25.6% of the population, the report said.
The decline in government control came as the number of personnel in the Afghan security forces hit its lowest level since January 2015. Meanwhile, the U.S., in the first 11 months of 2018, dropped five times the number of munitions in Afghanistan than it did in all of 2016, the report said, citing figures provided by the U.S. Air Force.
Testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee in early December, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jack F. McKenzie, Jr., the new head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in Afghanistan, said the country’s security forces were still weak.
“If we left precipitously right now, I do not believe they would be able to successfully defend their country,” he said.
Write to Craig Nelson at craig.nelson@wsj.com
