President Trump tweeted Wednesday (Oct. 7, 2020) that all U.S. service members in Afghanistan should be back in the United States by Christmas. Earlier, the White House national security adviser and U.S. military commanders said that thousands of U.S. troops would still be in Afghanistan early next year.
The United States and the Taliban reached a landmark agreement in February that would see foreign troops leave Afghanistan by May 2021, while the Taliban promised to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing agreement with the Afghan government.
General McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, said last month that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be reduced from the current 8,600 to about 4,500 in early November. He expressed concern at the prospect of a full withdrawal of U.S. forces soon, saying that the Taliban “still has not given a final indication that they will disengage from Al Qaeda” and that it “continues to attack the security forces in Afghanistan.
However, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan appears to be proceeding more expeditiously than Admiral McKenzie’s arrangement.
On the same day that President Trump tweeted about the withdrawal on Wednesday, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said the U.S. currently has fewer than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan and will reduce the number of U.S. troops in the country to 2,500 by early next year.
Some observers say that while national security officials and U.S. military commanders agree that U.S. service members in Afghanistan should remain at least until early next year, President Trump has said that all U.S. service members should return to the United States by Christmas, which could be linked to the upcoming presidential election.
Trump campaigned in 2016 on a promise to withdraw U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq as soon as possible to end what he called the country’s “endless wars.
Much of the U.S. public wants the U.S. military to end its nearly 20-year military campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq as soon as possible.
Democratic presidential candidate Biden said he supports the plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but wants the Pentagon to leave a small army there to deal with any future threat of terrorism.
Recent Comments