US to reduce troops in Afghanistan, Iraq by mid-January

Troops will be down to 2,500 in each country, according to Acting defense chief Chris Miller

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US will reduce troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 by Jan. 15, Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said Tuesday.

"January 15, 2021, our forces, their size in Afghanistan will be 2,500 troops. Our force size in Iraq will also be 2,500 by that same day," Miller told a news briefing at the Pentagon.

"This is consistent with our established plans and strategic objectives, and does not equate to a change in US policy or objectives," said the acting defense chief.

At the moment, the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan is around 4,500, with 3,000 in Iraq.

The announcement came one day after CNN reported US military expects US President Donald Trump to order a withdrawal of more troops from Afghanistan and Iraq before he leaves the White House on Jan. 20.

Trump has long criticized the presence of American troops overseas as his aim of divorcing the US from "endless wars" became his foreign policy.

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