France will make clear to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a visit to Paris next week that it opposes a unilateral American withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq given the fight against Islamist militancy, its foreign minister said on Friday as quoted in a report by Reuters. 

Reuters reports that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and French President Emmanuel Macron are due to meet Pompeo on Monday in Paris. 

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General who addressed an event on NATO 2030 initiative, said: “In the recent weeks, we have seen barbaric attacks in France in Austria as well as in Afghanistan. NATO must be able to respond to all these challenges.” 

This comes as US news agencies reported on Thursday that the new changes in the Pentagon by President Donald Trump are rising fears that the US will accelerate the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. 

During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to withdraw the troops from Afghanistan by Christmas.   

CNN reported on Thursday that retired army Col. Douglas Macgregor who was an ardent opponent of the US military's presence in Afghanistan has been made a senior adviser at the Pentagon. 

Politico reported that current and former administration officials say Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper Monday in part over his opposition to accelerating troop drawdowns worldwide, and especially in Afghanistan. 

Politico also reports that any move to accelerate withdrawals would set up a clash with the nation’s top generals and other civilians, who have argued publicly against leaving Afghanistan too quickly while the security situation remains volatile. 

“A precipitous and what appears to be near total withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan — not on a conditions-based approach advocated by our military, political and intelligence leadership but rather on an old campaign promise by President Trump now carried out by hyperpartisan Trump loyalists installed in a last-minute purge of DoD — is both reckless and will not make America safer,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired CIA senior operations officer, quoted by Politico.