Pentagon Announces Withdrawal of Part of the US Army from Iraq and Afghanistan | World

In afghanistan the number of US military personnel will be reduced from 4,500 to 2,500. In Iraq, the reduction will be more timid: only 500 will return home, leaving another 2,500 soldiers on Iraqi soil.

The decision, criticized even by direct allies of the president of the United States in Congress (read more about this later), is part of one of Donald Trump’s campaign flags. Still, the pullout will be more timid than Republicans would like: The idea was a full return of the US military from service in those countries.

The cut was announced by new Defense Secretary Cristopher Miller, who has been in the interim post since Mark Esper’s resignation.

Although Trump refuses to concede defeat in the November elections and tries to avoid the transition, the president-elect’s team is already speaking with members of the US government.

Republican leader warns Trump

The return of US military personnel to the Middle East was one of Trump’s campaign flags even in the 2016 election. This year, he returned to the issue at various rallies and speeches, such as the traditional State of the Union in February. At that time, the president presented, as a surprise to his family, a military man who had just returned from Afghanistan, where he was on duty.

However, Trump failed to get re-elected. With that, the very leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, one of the greatest allies of the White House, warned the president Tuesday against any major changes in the U.S. Department of Defense or foreign policy – This includes, according to the senator, major withdrawals in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Monday, McConnell said that only “a small minority” in Congress would approve Trump’s decisions on military withdrawals. “It would be abandoning our allies in Afghanistan,” he said.

US political leaders fear that the withdrawal of the military will weaken America’s allied governments. This is the case of Afghanistan, a country with which the White House is trying to reach a peace agreement with the Islamic terrorist group Taliban.

Despite attempts at a ceasefire between the Afghan government and the extremist faction, international observers have noted that the Taliban are not complying with the requirements of the agreement and are even continuing to target civilians in Afghanistan.

Acting Secretary of Defense Cristopher Miller denies that the pullout endangers the US military or allied governments..

“If the forces of terror, instability, division and hatred launch a deliberate campaign to undermine our efforts, we will be ready to apply the necessary capabilities to annihilate them,” Miller said.

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