美国新任国防部长阿什顿·卡特星期天前往阿富汗南部地区，考量美军两年内从阿富汗撤出的计划。
卡特抵达阿富汗的第二天，从首都喀布尔飞往坎大哈省。此前他在喀布尔与阿富汗领导人和美军指挥官进行了一系列会谈。
卡特在坎大哈听取美军以及阿富汗军队的指挥官报告有关培训阿富汗保安部队的进展。
他表示，美国正在“重新考量”在阿富汗反恐使命的具体安排，包括是否放慢美国撤军的步伐。美军在阿富汗的任务正从作战转为培训，阿富汗军队接手承担起打击塔利班的责任。
卡特对记者说，这个问题是下个月阿富汗总统加尼访问华盛顿时的一个议题。
卡特与阿富汗总统加尼举行了会谈，讨论了撤军以及阿富汗打击塔利班的行动。加尼总统对记者说，目前与塔利班达成和平协议的前景比过去30多年任何时候都好，但是他没有透露任何细节。他说，有良好的趋势，但是发布消息的时机还不成熟。
卡塔计划在阿富汗访问期间视察驻阿美军。目前美国在阿富汗有大约一万驻军。
New U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter traveled to southern Afghanistan Sunday to review plans to withdraw U.S. troops from the country within two years.
On his second day in Afghanistan, Carter few to Kandahar from the capital, Kabul, where he had held a series of talks Saturday with Afghan leaders and American military commanders.
Carter is in Kandahar to receive briefings from U.S. and Afghan commanders on progress in training Afghan security forces.
Carter said the United States is "rethinking details" of its counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan, including whether to slow down the withdrawal of U.S. troops, whose mission is changing from combat to training as Afghan troops take on responsibility for the fight against the Taliban.
He told reporters the issue is on the agenda when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visits Washington next month.
Carter met with President Ghani, discussing both the drawdown and Afghan efforts to fight the Taliban. President Ghani told reporters that prospects for peace with the Taliban are better now than they have been in more than three decades, although he gave few details. He said "the direction is positive" but added he would not make "premature announcements."
Carter is also scheduled to meet with U.S. troops during his visit.
About 10,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan.
