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(CNN) – US military commanders expect President Trump to issue a formal order as early as this week to begin a new withdrawal of US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq before Trump leaves office on January 20, according to two familiar US officials.
The Pentagon has issued a warning to commanders known as a “warning order” to begin planning to reduce US troops to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and 2,500 in Iraq by January 15, officials said. There are currently approximately 4,500 US troops in Afghanistan and 3,000 US troops in Iraq.
The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The move goes against the recommendation of military commanders who have long argued that any further withdrawal must be based on conditions and that the situation currently does not justify further withdrawal.
Recent sweeping changes at the Pentagon have put Trump loyalists in their place, and informed sources last week told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the White House-led purge of the Department of Defense may have been motivated by the fact. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and his team were rejecting a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan that would take place before required field conditions and other outstanding security issues were met.
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller forcibly sent a seemingly contradictory message saying the United States must continue its battle against Al Qaeda and the terrorist forces behind 9/11, saying it was time to bring home the military. .
“This war is not over,” Miller wrote in his message. “We are about to defeat al Qaeda and its associates, but we must avoid our past strategic mistake of not being able to carry out the battle. Indeed, this struggle has been long, our sacrifices have been enormous and many are tired of the war, I am one of them, but this is the critical phase where we shift our efforts from a leadership to a supporting role “, he wrote, referring to the current role of the United States in supporting counter-terrorism campaigns such as the one in Afghanistan.
“All wars must end. Ending wars requires commitment and collaboration. Overcoming the challenge; We gave our all. Now is the time to go home,” Miller wrote.
– Vivian Salama and Ryan Browne
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