United States to withdraw over 2,500 US Troops from Afghanistan and Iraq

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On Tuesday, the acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Miller has announced plans to reduce U.S troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said the decision fulfills President Donald Trump’s pledge to bring forces home when conditions were met that kept the U.S and its allies safe. The new plan will accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan in Trump’s final days in office, in spite of arguments from senior military officials in the favor of a slower and more methodical pullout. Point to be noted that President Trump has refused to concede his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump will leave Oval Office before 20^th January 2021, just 5 days after the troop withdrawals are slated to finish. The Defense Secretary said that commanders and advisers have agreed with the withdrawal plan.

The move will decrease the number of troops in Afghanistan from more than 4,500 to 2,500, and in Iraq from about 3,000 to 2,500. Moreover, the Taliban has welcomed the announcement from the Pentagon chief that President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of around 2,000 troops from Afghanistan. The move will serve as a constructive measure toward ending the United States’ nearly two-decade war in the country. On Tuesday, Miller announced that the Pentagon was drawing down the number of U.S soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq from 4,500 and 3,000 to 2,500 in each country by 15^th January 2021. Miller said, “This is consistent with our established plans and strategic objectives supported by the American people and does not equate to a change in U.S policy”.

President Trump has long pledged to end the endless wars launched by the former US Presidents, especially vowing to wind down the United States’ longest war by bringing troops home from Afghanistan after striking a peace deal with longtime foe the Taliban. However, the Afghan ambassador to the U.S, Roya Rahmani cautioned earlier this month against a premature pullout that didn’t take into account a demonstration of the Taliban’s adherence to the burgeoning peace process. Rahmani informed a news outlet and said, “We understand the fatigue in America, but withdrawal must be measured and strategic in order to preserve the gains that Americans and Afghans have sacrificed so much for. There would be a lack of incentive for the Taliban to fully commit to the ongoing peace process without the withdrawal being conditional”.