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Trump orders troops to withdraw: shortly thereafter, rockets hit near the US embassy
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Blackhawk helicopter at the US military base Salman Pak in southern Baghdad: the military device is sent back to the US
Source: AFP / ALI YOUSSEF
Two rockets hit near the US embassy in Baghdad. Shortly before, Donald Trump had created facts and withdrew other troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
B.A child was killed Tuesday evening during missile attacks in the so-called Green Zone in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least five people were injured, according to Iraqi security forces.
A total of four Katyusha missiles hit the area where the highly protected government district and embassies of the United States and other countries are located. Authorities did not initially provide any information on the age of the killed child.
The rockets were launched from the south-east of the capital. At first no one recognized him. In recent months there have been repeated missile attacks near the Green Zone and the airport. Behind it are mainly local militias, some of which are supported by neighboring Iran. The attacks were also directed against Iraqi military bases used by US troops. Shiite militias allied with Iran demand the withdrawal of US soldiers.
Only recently did current US President Donald Trump order the withdrawal of additional US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. By January 15, the number of troops will be reduced to about 2,500 each, interim Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told the Pentagon on Tuesday. The partial withdrawal would have been implemented immediately prior to the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden. The oath is scheduled for January 20.
The Department of Defense has not provided any information on how many US troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to US broadcaster CNN, there are currently 4,500 US troops in Afghanistan and 3,000 in Iraq. Miller said the United States is entering a new phase in the fight against international terrorism. The announcement was expected since several US media reported on the preparations on Monday.
The partial deduction follows Biden’s election defeat of Trump. Shortly thereafter, the incumbent president sacked Defense Secretary Mark Esper, which in turn led to the replacement of high-ranking positions in the Pentagon with Trump supporters. For example, former army officer Douglas Macgregor has been appointed senior adviser to Executive Minister Miller. Macgregor is known as a critic of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The US signed an agreement with the Taliban Islamist militants in late February that promises the gradual withdrawal of all US and NATO forces by the end of April 2021. The Taliban have engaged in peace talks with the Kabul government, which began in September. However, the process got stuck in the procedural dispute.
It was the promise of Trump’s election campaign
Trump had already promised to bring the troops home in the 2016 election campaign. In particular, he pushed for a withdrawal from Afghanistan. According to US media reports, he has recently been increasingly frustrated with the pace of the withdrawal.
In early August, the United States informed its NATO allies that it wanted to reduce its troops from about 12,000 to less than 5,000 by the end of November. In mid-September, Trump then announced that troop strength should quickly be reduced to less than 4,000. Almost four weeks before the US election in early November, Trump even announced on Twitter that the soldiers should return to the US by Christmas.
The war in Afghanistan is the longest in US history. American soldiers have been in the country since 2001. After the 9/11 attacks of that year, US-led troops marched there. It is not yet clear what effects the recent US cuts could have on the Bundeswehr commitment. About 1,000 troops are currently stationed in northern Afghanistan. The current mandate of the Bundestag provides for the use of up to 1,300.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed on Monday that the alliance will continue to train, advise and support Afghan security forces. At the same time, if the United States withdraws completely, NATO would have to end its operation because the other allies are militarily unable to continue it alone.
At the end of October, the Bundestag extended the deployment of German soldiers to Iraq by another 15 months. With this, Germany is making its contribution to the fight of an international coalition against the terrorist militia of the Islamic State (IS). A maximum of 500 soldiers can be deployed.
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