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US President Donald Trump has ordered a reduction in the number of US military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told Mediafax.
The number of US forces in Afghanistan will drop from 4,500 to 2,500 before Trump ends his term, and in Iraq, the number will drop from 3,000 to 2,500.
Trump has threatened to withdraw all of these forces by Christmas, according to Reuters.
“We are not followers of perpetual wars, they would be the antithesis of what we want (…). We have accomplished our tasks, now is the time to go home, “Christopher Miller said in a letter to the US military.
Donald Trump had advocated since the 2016 election campaign for the withdrawal of US troops from areas of foreign operations and for “stopping the ridiculous never-ending wars.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday urged US President Donald Trump not to reduce the number of US military personnel in Afghanistan, warning of security risks and calling for solidarity with troops from other countries.
The North Atlantic Alliance intervened in Afghanistan after an attack on the United States to ensure that it would never again be a haven for international terrorists. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Europe and other countries have joined the US military in Afghanistan, and more than 1,000 of them have paid the highest price, “said Jens Stoltenberg.
“We are faced with a difficult decision now. We have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years and no NATO member state wants to stay longer than necessary. But at the same time, the price of premature or uncoordinated withdrawal could be very high. Afghanistan runs on the scale. risk of once again becoming a platform for international terrorists to organize attacks against our countries. And the Islamic State network could rebuild the terrorist caliphate lost in Syria and Iraq in Afghanistan, “said the NATO secretary general.
Editing: Monica Bonea
