The Pentagon introduced Friday that it had lower the variety of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 every, days earlier than President-elect Joe Biden is about to take workplace.
“Today, US force levels in Afghanistan have reached 2,500. Directed by President [Donald] Trump, and as I announced on Nov. 17, this drawdown brings US forces in the country to their lowest levels since 2001,” Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller mentioned in a press release.
For all the newest headlines, observe our Google News channel on-line or by way of the app.
“Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,” Miller mentioned.
The discount may complicate issues for the incoming Biden administration, which should decide how you can deal with a Trump administration dedication to the Taliban to take away all US army, intelligence and contractor personnel from Afghanistan by May as a transfer to spur peace negotiations.
Those talks are at an early stage.
Senior US commanders are skeptical of the Taliban’s acknowledged dedication to peace, though they’ve mentioned they will accomplish their mission in Afghanistan with 2,500 troops.
When Trump took workplace 4 years in the past, there have been about 8,500 troops within the nation, and he raised it to about 13,000 that summer time.
Under the National Defense Authorization Act handed by Congress two weeks in the past, the Pentagon was explicitly forbidden to make use of cash from this 12 months’s or final 12 months’s price range on decreasing the variety of troops under 4,000 — or under the quantity that was within the nation the day the invoice was finalized, which was Jan. 1. Trump vetoed the measure, however each the House and Senate voted to override his veto.
The protection laws supplied two situations underneath which the Pentagon may get across the prohibition — a presidential waiver or a report back to Congress assessing the impact of an additional drawdown on the US counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan and the chance to US troops there.
Iraq
Separately, Miller additionally revealed that the variety of US troops in Iraq was now at 2,500.
“The drawdown of US force levels in Iraq is reflective of the increased capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces,” Miller mentioned, including that the flexibility to cut back drive ranges was “evidence of real progress” within the combat towards ISIS.
But the US official mentioned the transfer did “not equate to a change in US policy. “US and Coalition forces remain in Iraq to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Miller mentioned.
There had been simply over 5,000 US troops in Iraq earlier than the preliminary selections to cut back the troop degree on the finish of 2019.
Read extra:
Lebanon, Iraq on edge as US-Iran tensions escalate one 12 months on from Soleimani killing
Trump touts ‘19-year low’ variety of US troops in Afghanistan days earlier than finish of time period
– with AP
SHOW MORE
Last Update: Friday, 15 January 2021 KSA 18:45 – GMT 15:45
