Even if Donald Trump lost the presidential election of November 3, he continues to lead the United States until January 20, 2021. It is within this framework that he has acted on the gradual reduction of the number of American troops in Afghanistan at 2,500 in January 2021, the smallest American contingent in two decades of war, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday. The current occupant of the White House had promised to put an end to “endless wars”. About 2,000 troops will withdraw from Afghanistan by January 15, and 500 more will leave Iraq leaving only 2,500 troops in each country, new acting defense minister Christopher Miller said.
The withdrawal will come as Donald Trump, defeated in the presidential election by Democrat Joe Biden, cedes power on January 20. This decision reflects the wish of the American president “to end successfully and responsibly the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and to bring our courageous soldiers home,” he said. Before the Pentagon’s announcement, several US and foreign officials warned against a hasty and total withdrawal that would favor extremist groups like Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group. The leader of the Republican majority in the Senate Mitch McConnell had estimated Monday that the United States would “abandon” its allies by withdrawing too quickly. For NATO, Afghanistan could “once again become a base for international terrorists”. US forces “remain committed to protecting the security of the American people and supporting our allies and partners around the world,” said Christopher Miller.
Since the launch of military offensives in Afghanistan in 2001 and then in Iraq two years later, more than 6,900 American soldiers have died and more than 52,000 have been wounded in these two theaters of war, according to the Pentagon. Peace talks are underway between the Taliban and the Afghan government, following an agreement between Washington and the insurgents that confirms the withdrawal of American forces by mid-2021.
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