Washington, Nov. 17, (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump may soon give an order to significantly cut down on the size of the troop presence in Afghanistan and Iraq before he leaves office in January, broadcaster CNN reported on Monday.
The report said military commanders were getting ready for such an order, which could reduce the number of soldiers to 2,500 in each country, down from 4,500 in Afghanistan and 3,000 in Iraq currently.
Trump recently fired Mark Esper as secretary of defence.
The two had a number of disagreements, including a public dust-up over Trump floating the idea of using the military to quell protests over the summer – which Esper opposed, but never came to pass anyway.
However, there were also signs that Esper was reluctant to wind down foreign wars, saying such a move would be premature.
The United States has been in Afghanistan since 2001, when it invaded after the September 11 attacks. In 2003, the US occupied Iraq and overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein.
Christopher Miller, who has taken over from Esper on an acting basis, wrote a letter that was published by US media outlets over the weekend in which he said many people, including himself, were weary of the foreign conflicts. “All wars must end,” Miller wrote. He said the US must shift from a leading role to a more supportive effort.
Trump campaigned on ending foreign entanglements, but he has done little to end the major efforts overseas, while actually increasing operations in the Gulf, as part of a effort to counter Iran.
GNA