The order falls short of the goal of President Donald Trump, who is expected to step down on January 20th after the recent presidential elections, when he previously admitted the total withdrawal of troops by the end of 2020, a position that faced opposition from military and diplomatic advisers. .
The Pentagon also plans to cut the number of US troops in Iraq to 2,500, a reduction of more than 500 troops. The decisions came as no surprise, following Trump’s changes in Pentagon leadership over the past week, when he promoted trusted people who share his frustration with the continued military presence in war zones.
These cuts are a success for Trump in his final weeks in power, despite continuing to refuse to acknowledge his defeat in the November presidential election against Democrat Joe Biden.
The official indicated that the military chiefs were informed during the weekend about the planning of the withdrawals, and an executive order is being drawn up that has not yet been handed over to the commandos.
The official responsible requested anonymity because they were internal deliberations. The US currently maintains between 4,500 and 5,000 troops in Afghanistan, and more than 3,000 in Iraq.
According to this order, the troop reduction will be completed just five before Biden takes over the presidency, a ceremony scheduled for January 20th and transmitting him a small military presence in two decisive war zones.
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