President Trump moved a step closer to meeting his campaign pledge to end the “endless wars” with the Defense Department announcing on Friday that troop reduction targets in Afghanistan and Iraq have been met.
“Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war,” acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement confirming that the Friday Trump-imposed deadline to draw down forces to 2,500 in Afghanistan had been met.
“With a force of 2,500, commanders have what they need to keep America, our people, and our interests safe,” he said.
The decision to draw down was announced by Miller in his first public statement on Nov. 17 following the abrupt firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who had opposed further drawdowns in a memo to the White House before his dismissal.
Miller’s statement said the number, along with NATO ally and partner forces, is sufficient for the advise and assist mission to the Afghan Security Forces.
Detractors cried foul after the November announcement, saying it was not enough to protect troops, let alone assist the Afghans with rooting out lingering al Qaeda terrorists.
Afghan forces have also been under relentless attack from the Taliban since a Feb. 29 peace deal between the United States and the Taliban in Doha. That agreement called for a reduction in violence that has not materialized.
Miller said the force reduction was consistent with a distancing from the country as per the agreement, which calls for a full withdrawal by May.
Force reductions in Iraq were also met, Miller said in a separate statement.
“The drawdown of U.S. force levels in Iraq is reflective of the increased capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces,” Miller said.
U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria are charged with rooting out the remnants of the Islamic State. Troops in the country have also come under regular attack by Iran-backed militias.
Miller’s statement heaps praise on Iraqi forces, saying they are nearly capable of managing the ISIS threat alone.
“Our ability to reduce force levels is evidence of real progress,” he said.
Only five months ago, U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie shed doubt the Iraqi forces were ready.
“The underlying conditions that allowed for the rise of ISIS remain,” McKenzie told the U.S. Institute of Peace in August. “They continue to aspire to regain control of physical terrain.”
Trump appeared to be celebrating the news on the eve of his self-imposed deadline with a Thursday White House statement.
“United States military troops in Afghanistan are at a 19-year low. Likewise, Iraq and Syria are also at the lowest point in many years,” Trump said in a four-sentence statement. “I will always be committed to stopping the endless wars.”
