Washington, November 17 The Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced on the 17th that the number of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq will be reduced to about 2500 each by mid-January next year.
Miller said at a Pentagon press conference that day that the Department of Defense will implement President Trump’s orders and continue to “redeploy” US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. By January 15 next year, the number of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq will remain unchanged. Around 2500 people.
Miller said that the plan is in line with the established plans and strategic goals of the United States and is supported by the American public.
Related plans have been informed to the Congress leadership, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ghani.
This was the first time Miller attended the Pentagon press conference after serving as acting secretary of defense. He did not accept any questions after his speech.
According to US media reports, there are currently approximately 4,500 and 3,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The United States launched the Iraq War in 2003 and withdrew its troops from Iraq at the end of 2011, leaving only a small number of soldiers. In 2014, the extremist organization “Islamic State” seized large areas of western and northern Iraq, and the United States subsequently increased its troops in Iraq, but the US military’s authority was limited to combating the “Islamic State” and providing support and training for the Iraqi government forces.
According to the agreement signed between the U.S. government and the Taliban in Afghanistan at the end of February this year, the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan dropped to about 8,600 in June this year. The remaining U.S. and NATO coalition soldiers will be withdrawn from Afghanistan within 14 months.
The Taliban promised not to allow its members and members of other organizations, including Al-Qaida, to use Afghanistan’s homeland to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.
