Trump administration cuts troops in Afghanistan, Iraq
Washington: The Trump administration has announced it will halve the number of US troops in Afghanistan within months, while also cutting the number of troops in Iraq.
Acting US defence secretary Christopher Miller, who was appointed to the role last week, told reporters in Washington that the number of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will be reduced to 2500 in each country by January 15.
That is just five days before Joe Biden is to be inaugurated as the 46th American president.
Acting defence secretary Christopher Miller revealed the US would reduce its troop numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan.Credit:AP
Earlier in the day the head of NATO warned that pulling troops out of Afghanistan too quickly risked sparking a resurgence of terrorist activity in the country.
"We have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, and no NATO ally wants to stay any longer than necessary,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"But at the same time, the price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high."
Exiting: A military vehicle damaged by a blast is transported in Kabul, Afghanistan.Credit:AP
He said: "Afghanistan risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organise attacks on our homelands.
"And ISIS could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq."
Trump said in a Twitter post last month that he wanted all US troops to be home from Afghanistan by Christmas, but was talked out of a full withdrawal by top military and national security staffers.
Trump last week fired defence secretary Mark Esper, in part because he and other top officials at the Pentagon had opposed his plans to quickly scale back the number of troops in Afghanistan.
More to come
Matthew Knott is North America correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.