US says "premature" to discuss future Afghan counter-terror mission

The top U.S. general said on Wednesday that it was too early to talk about the future of U.S. counter-terrorism forces in Afghanistan as U.S and Taliban forces appear close to an agreement to end the 18-year war.

"I honestly think it's premature to talk about what our counter-terrorism presence in Afghanistan may or may not be without a better appreciation for what will the conditions (be)," Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

"Any agreement that we have moving forward, the president has been clear, is going to be conditions-based," Dunford said, noting that any U.S. withdrawal would ultimately be dependent on any outcome from the talks.

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