As negotiators work to nail down an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, misgivings have grown among some Trump administration officials and lawmakers that it will erode the United States' ability to thwart attacks from there, U.S. officials said.
Their concerns collide with U.S. President Donald Trump's impatience to secure a deal to draw down 14,000 troops and end America's longest war, allowing him to claim a foreign policy victory as he campaigns for re-election in 2020.
On Thursday, Trump appeared to reflect some of his aides' caution, telling Fox News Radio that U.S. troops would initially be reduced to 8,600, and "then we make a determination from there as to what happens."