US TROOP LEVELS CUT TO 2,500 EACH IN AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ

Fri 15 January 2021:

The US has decreased the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 2,500, accomplishing a key goal of President Donald Trump as he prepares to leave office next week, the Pentagon announced Friday.

The drawdowns may run afoul of Congress, which just two weeks ago prohibited the Pentagon from using funds allocated this year or last to decrease its forces levels below 4,000 in Afghanistan as part of its annual defense spending bill.

Acting Secretary Christopher Miller confirmed the lower levels in separate statements. He said the Iraq drawdown is “consistent” with the US-led anti-Daesh coalition’s shift away from major combat operations.

In Afghanistan he said the US is “closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process.”

The US invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban regime then in place had hosted Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Washington struck a deal with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar on February 29, 2020 to begin withdrawing in return for security guarantees from the militants and a commitment to peace talks with Kabul.

Those talks are ongoing, but have stuttered amid violence and accusations of slow progress. Meanwhile the Taliban has continued its deadly attacks on Afghan security forces and civilians alike.