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In 2016, US President Trump promised to bring soldiers from war zones. According to media reports, he wants to at least partially keep the promise at the end of his presidency. Major Republicans warn.
In the final months of his term, US President Donald Trump wants to go ahead with the withdrawal of soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq, which he has repeatedly promised. The commanders were preparing for an order to reduce the number of soldiers in Afghanistan from around 4,500 today to around 2,500 on January 15, several US media reported unanimously.
The US military was informed of the plans over the weekend, he said. There are currently between 4,500 and 5,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 in Iraq. The New York Times reported, citing a draft order, that nearly all of the more than 700 soldiers stationed in Somalia should also leave the country.
Many positions were filled recently, with opponents of foreign deployments.
Trump has long been pushing for troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. In the 2016 election campaign, the Republican had promised to bring back American troops. Almost four weeks before this year’s election, he shockingly announced on Twitter that the remaining soldiers in Afghanistan should be back in the United States by Christmas.
More recently, Trump fired his defense secretary, Mark Esper, who had insisted on temporarily leaving 4,500 US troops in the country. Other leadership positions have also been held by people who share their frustration at the continued presence of US soldiers in war zones. Acting Pentagon chief Christopher Miller then hinted at an accelerated troop withdrawal over the weekend: “It’s time to go home.”
Peace talks with the Taliban stall
The war in Afghanistan is the longest in American history. US soldiers have been in the country since 2001. After the September 11 attacks of that year, US-led troops marched there. For almost two decades, Islamists in Afghanistan have been fighting for the withdrawal of international troops.
The United States signed an agreement with the Taliban Islamist militants in late February that promises the gradual withdrawal of all US and NATO forces by the end of 2021. In return, the Taliban pledged, among other things, to hold peace talks. with the Afghan government, which began in September. However, the process had recently stalled.
Criticism from within
Thus, the leading Republicans in the United States Congress warned against a premature withdrawal from the country. “There is no American who does not wish that the war in Afghanistan against the terrorists and their aides has already been finally won,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “But that doesn’t change the real decision ahead of us.” A swift withdrawal of US forces “would harm our allies and would please those who wish to harm us.”
McConnell said the Trump administration had made great strides in the fight against terrorism, but warned that a potentially “embarrassing” withdrawal from Afghanistan would be worse than the widespread withdrawal of soldiers from Iraq under Barack Obama in 2011 and the withdrawal from Saigon in 1975. . could. The United States would “renounce” its allies and give the Islamists a “great propaganda victory.”
Republican MP Michael McCaul warned that a “hasty withdrawal from the United States” would not only weaken the Afghan government’s negotiating position, but would also harm US counter-terrorism interests. Therefore, American soldiers would have to remain in Afghanistan for the “foreseeable future.” US Senator Marco Rubio warned that any plan to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan must ensure that military equipment does not end up in the hands of the Taliban or Al Qaeda. Furthermore, the United States must continue to be able to act against the leaders of the Al Qaeda terrorist network.
