“President Donald Trump is expected to cut a significant number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and a smaller number in Iraq by the final days of his presidency, Amerikaanse. officials said Monday. The plan would run counter to military commanders’ advice over the past year, while still falling short of Trump’s much-touted goal to end America’s long wars. The decision comes just days after Trump installed a new slate of loyalists in top Pentagon positions who share his frustration with the continued troop presence in the war zones. But the expected plans would leave 2,500 troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, meaning that President-elect Joe Biden would be the fourth president to grapple with the still-smoldering conflicts launched in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Amerikaanse. officials said military leaders were told over the weekend about the planned withdrawals and that an executive order is in the works but has not yet been delivered to commanders. Officials cautioned that there could always be changes, and Trump is known to make snap decisions based on media reports and online chatter. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. There are 4,500 aan 5,000 troops in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 in Iraq. As news broke about the plan, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill issued stark warnings about making any hasty exit from Afghanistan that could jeopardize the peace process and undermine counterterrorism efforts. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Trump administration has made tremendous headway against terrorist threats, but warned against a potentially “humiliating” pullout from Afghanistan that he said would be worse than President Barack Obama’s 2011 withdrawal from Iraq and reminiscent of the U.S. departure from Saigon in 1975. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul In this Oct. 17, 2018, photo, Afghan National Army soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan. Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican leader on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said of the plans for Afghanistan, “We need to ensure a residual force is maintained for the foreseeable future to protect U.S. national and homeland security interests and to help secure peace for Afghanistan.” Under the planned order, the troop cuts would be completed just five days before Biden takes office on Jan. 20. Military commanders have expressed less concern about the reduction in Iraq, where the Iraqi forces are better able to maintain their nation’s security. Trump’s new Pentagon chief, Christopher Miller, hinted at the troop withdrawals over the weekend in a carefully worded message to the force. “We remain committed to finishing the war that al-Qaida brought to our shores in 2001,” he said, and warned that “we must avoid our past strategic error of failing to see the fight through to the finish.” But Miller also made it clear that “all wars must end.” “This fight has been long, our sacrifices have been enormous. and many are weary of war — I’m one of them," hy het gesê. ”Ending wars requires compromise and partnership. We met the challenge; we gave it our all. Now, it’s time to come home.” The accelerated withdrawal, egter, goes against the longstanding advice of Trump’s military leadership, including Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, top U.S. commander for the Middle East. But officials suggested that commanders will be able to live with the partial pullout, which allows them to keep counterterrorism troops in Afghanistan and gives them time to remove critical equipment from the country. McKenzie and others have repeatedly argued that a hasty withdrawal could undercut negotiations to finalize ongoing peace negotiations between the Taliban and representatives of Afghan society, including the Afghan government. And they also warn that U.S. forces should remain in the country to keep Islamic State militants in check. Biden has sounded less absolute about troop withdrawal. He has said some troops could stay in Afghanistan to focus on the counterterrorism mission. In response to a questionnaire before the election, hy het gesê: “Americans are rightly weary of our longest war; I am, ook. But we must end the war responsibly, in a manner that ensures we both guard against threats to our homeland and never have to go back.” Yunus Keles/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A ceremony held for the delivery of the armored vehicles, logistics and other military supplies sent by the U.S. for the 14th and 16th Infantry Brigade of the Peshmerga forces in Erbil, Iraq on Nov. 10, 2020. The expected order, first reported by CNN, adds to what has been a litany of muddled White House and Pentagon messages on troops withdrawals from both Afghanistan and Iraq, only exacerbating what has been an emotional roller coaster for the troops and their families. Adding to the confusion: The Pentagon has historically failed to count up to hundreds of troops actually on the ground, including some special operations forces and personnel on temporary duty for only a few months. Often that is due to political sensitivities in those countries and in the U.S. The Pentagon was already on track to cut troops levels in Afghanistan to about 4,500 by mid-November. Amerikaanse. military leaders have consistently said that going below that number must be based on conditions on the ground, including a measurable reduction in attacks by the Taliban on Afghan troops. And they insist they have not seen that yet. America’s exit from Afghanistan after 19 years was laid out in a February agreement Washington reached with the Taliban. That agreement said U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan in 18 maande, provided the Taliban honored a commitment to fight terrorist groups, with most attention seemingly focused on the Islamic State group’s affiliate in the country. Military officials also have warned that there is a large amount of critical, classified equipment in Afghanistan that must be removed, but it will take time. They also say that any full U.S. withdrawal needs to be coordinated with other coalition allies that have troops in the country. The White House, egter, issued a confusing series of statements about Afghanistan over the past month. Trump on Oct. 7 tweeted that “we should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas.” When asked about those comments, Robert O’Brien, his national security adviser, said Trump was just expressing a hope. O’Brien, intussen, has said the number of troops in Afghanistan would drop to 2,500 by early next year. Op daardie stadium, defense officials said they had not received orders to cut troops to 2,500. And they warned that withdrawing troops quickly could remove some incentive for the struggling peace talks. According to the February agreement, die VSA. troop withdrawal next year is tied to the Taliban’s commitment to fight militant groups — such as the Islamic State group — in the county, and is not linked to successful negotiations between the Taliban and government. The Islamic State group is seen as extremely dangerous and intent on targeting America and other Western interests. The Taliban and Afghan government negotiators have been meeting for over a month in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar with little sign of progress. The Taliban, intussen, have staged near daily deadly attacks against Afghan forces. ____ Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
Trump-administrasie Lowballs werkloosheidsvoordele in nuwe COVID-19-aanbod
144 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings1 Hou van
["Die jongste stimulusaanbod van die Withuis kom eenmalig $600 betalings vir die meeste Amerikaners en 'n klomp steenkool vir werkloses. Die nuwe voorstel wat deur die minister van finansies, Steve Mnuchin, aangebied is, het die $3...
Trump: Miljoene Amerikaners wat COVID-19 kry, is 'geweldig’ En 'n 'Kragtige entstof’
130 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["President Donald Trump het Dinsdag die groot aantal Amerikaners wat met COVID-19 besmet is, as 'geweldig' uitgespreek,”En beweer valslik dat al die gevalle as 'n 'kragtige entstof' dien. 'Ek dink dat die entstof ...
Trump-prokureur, Jenna Ellis, toets positief vir COVID-19: Verslae
104 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["Jenna Ellis, 'n prokureur vir president Donald Trump, het na verneem word positief getoets vir COVID-19 nadat hy verlede week 'n Withuis-kerspartytjie vir senior personeel bygewoon het. Ellis was 'n gas van Peter se handelsadviseur Peter ...
Coronavirus Regstreekse opdaterings: Trump-administrasie het verskeie aanbiedings geweier om meer entstowwe te bekom 2021
77 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["Die eerste dosisse van die koronavirus-entstof is in die Verenigde Koninkryk gegee. op Dinsdag, aangesien sake in die Verenigde State steeds toeneem. Tot op hede, meer as 14.9 miljoen Amerikaners het die koronavirus opgedoen, Volgens ...
Stephen Colbert: Dit is die naaste wat ons sal kry vir 'n Melania Trump-konsessie
180 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["Stephen Colbert dink dat presidentsvrou Melania Trump net naby gekom het om die 2020 verkiesing namens haar uitgestemde man, President Donald Trump. Op Maandag se uitsending van “The Late Show,”Gasheer Colbert riffe ...
Donald Trump Jr. se klaaglied oor 'tirannie' word op hom teruggeslaan
138 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["Donald Trump Jr.. het op Twitter gekerm oor 'tirannie' in die Verenigde State en baie mense het gedink dat dit ietwat van 'n eie eienaarskap was. Donald Trump se oudste seun het voortgegaan met sy eie pogings om die 2020 verkiesing - ...
Trump het die beste Republikein in die huis van Pennsylvania gevra om in te gryp by die verkiesing: Verslag
72 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["President Donald Trump het die speaker van die huis van verteenwoordigers van Pennsylvania twee keer persoonlik gebel om hom te vra om te help om die resultate van die 2020 Amerikaanse. verkiesing in die staat, Trump se jongste poging om sy ...
1,500 Prokureurs doen 'n beroep op Prokureursorde om Trump-veldtogprokureurs te veroordeel
218 Uitsigte0 Opmerkings0 Hou van
["In 'n ope brief, 1,500 Prokureurs het die Donald Trump-veldtog gekap omdat hulle probeer het om die wil van U.S.A. kiesers en 'n beroep op balieverenigings gedoen om prokureurs te ondersoek wat regsgedinge namens Trump aanhangig gemaak het. Die le...