Taliban: Half of US troops to leave Afghanistan by May 1

The U.S. has promised to withdraw half of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of April, a Taliban official said Wednesday, but the U.S. military said it has received no orders to begin packing up.

Taliban official Abdul Salam Hanafi, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Moscow between the Taliban and other prominent Afghan figures, said that U.S. officials promised the pullout will begin this month.

"The Americans told us that from the beginning of February to the end of April, half of the troops from Afghanistan will be withdrawn," he said.

Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said, however, the U.S. military had received orders to begin withdrawing.

"Peace talks with the Taliban continue, but (the Defense Department) has not received a directive to change the force structure in Afghanistan," he said.

Hanafi said the U.S. and the Taliban will each create a technical committee that "will work on a timetable for the withdrawal of remaining troops."