US announces further drawdown of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq before Biden takes office
Miller mentioned the withdrawal, which can depart roughly 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and roughly the identical quantity in Iraq, “does not equate change” to US insurance policies or targets however supplied no particulars concerning the plan and refused to reply questions following Tuesday’s look in the Pentagon briefing room.
Currently there are roughly 4,500 US troops in Afghanistan and 3,000 troops in Iraq.
A senior protection official mentioned the announcement is “consistent” with what President Donald Trump has publicly introduced earlier this yr and is “consistent with his promise to the American People.”
But whereas the Pentagon seems able to take away hundreds extra US troops from the Middle East, the transfer additionally means that Trump might fall brief of fulfilling one of his core guarantees to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan before he leaves office.
Rep. Mac Thornberry, the highest Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, slammed the transfer as “a mistake” in an announcement issued shortly after Miller’s announcement.
“I believe that these additional reductions of American troops from terrorist areas are a mistake. Further reductions in Afghanistan will also undercut negotiations there; the Taliban has done nothing — met no condition — that would justify this cut,” he mentioned.
“As long as there are threats to Americans and American national security in the world, the U.S. must be vigilant, strong, and engaged in order to safeguard our people and fulfill our duty under the Constitution,” Thornberry added.
Miller’s announcement comes someday after CNN reported US army commanders have been anticipating {that a} formal order can be given by Trump to start a further withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
The information prompted criticism from a number of GOP lawmakers, together with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who didn’t check with Trump by identify however voiced his clear opposition to a speedy withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, saying it could “hurt our allies.”
“We’re playing a limited — limited — but important role in defending American national security and American interests against terrorists who would like nothing more than for the most powerful force for good in the world to simply pick up our ball and go home,” he mentioned in a speech from the Senate flooring on Monday.
“There’s no American who does not wish the war in Afghanistan against terrorists and their enablers had already been conclusively won,” he mentioned. “But that does not change the actual choice before us now. A rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight — delight — the people who wish us harm.”
A collection of sweeping modifications on the Pentagon final week that began with the firing of Defense Secretary of Mark Esper noticed Trump loyalists put in in influential positions. Knowledgeable sources instructed CNN’s Jake Tapper final week that the White House-directed purge on the Defense Department might have been motivated by the truth that Esper and his workforce have been pushing again on a untimely withdrawal from Afghanistan, which might be carried out before the required circumstances on the bottom have been met.
The senior protection official claimed that “there is no reduction in capability” in consequence of the drawdown, calling the discount a “collaborative” resolution whereas refusing to deal with a current Pentagon memo that mentioned circumstances on the bottom in Afghanistan didn’t warrant further drawdowns.
The evaluation from the chain of command — Esper, US Central Command chief Marine Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie and commander of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan Gen. Austin Miller — said that the mandatory circumstances had not been met. Others agreed, sources have instructed CNN.
“The DIA reported that al-Qaeda leaders support the agreement because it does not require the Taliban to publicly renounce al-Qaeda and the deal includes a timeline for the United States and coalition forces to withdraw—accomplishing one of al-Qaeda’s main goals,” the report mentioned, referring to the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency.
This story is breaking and shall be up to date.
CNN’s Jake Tapper contributed to this report.
