The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has been reduced to 2,500 each, the lowest level of troops in the nearly 20 years the United States has been at war in those countries.
In keeping with his campaign promise to end the two wars waged since 9/11, outgoing President Trump ordered that U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq be reduced to 2,500 by Jan. 15.
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller noted that progress toward peace in Iraq and Afghanistan has allowed the U.S. to reduce troop levels without compromising the security of U.S. forces and Iraqi and Afghan government forces.
The United States is now closer than ever to ending nearly 20 years of fighting and ushering in an Afghan-led peace process that will lead to a political settlement as well as a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire,” Miller said in a statement.
Further troop reductions depend on progress in peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgency, the statement said.
Miller noted that the Pentagon aims to “further reduce the U.S. military presence to zero by the end of May 2021,” but also said that “any future troop withdrawals will remain contingent upon circumstances.
A North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) official said that NATO still has less than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned against a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, lest the country again become “a springboard for international terrorists.
On Iraq, Miller noted that the U.S. troop reductions reflect “an increase in the strength of Iraqi security forces,” but added that the disarmament “does not amount to a change in U.S. policy.
He said, “U.S. and allied forces will remain in Iraq to ensure that the defeat of Islamic State (IS) is sustainable…We will retain a counterterrorism platform in Iraq to support friendly forces with air power and intelligence.
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