Thursday, March 23, 2023
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

Trump to announce US troop withdrawals from Iraq, Afghanistan

by Agence France-Presse
September 9, 2020
in War News
3 min read
0
US begins military pullout from two Afghan bases
5
SHARES
14
VIEWS

US President Donald Trump was expected to announce further troop withdrawals Wednesday from Afghanistan and from Iraq, where several thousand US troops hunting down jihadist sleeper cells have faced increasing attacks blamed on pro-Iran factions.

The deadly bomb and rocket attacks have put additional pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who has pledged to rein in rogue groups pledged to fight the US military presence.

During Washington talks with Kadhemi last month, Trump said US forces would leave Iraq but gave no timetable or specific troop levels.

A senior administration official told reporters that the president would make an announcement on Wednesday, but offered no additional details.

The US has already been steadily downsizing its troop levels in Iraq in recent months as Iraqis take over more combat and training roles from foreign forces.

“These withdrawals are part of the agreed transition of the US-led coalition’s role in Iraq,” an Iraqi official told AFP ahead of Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US deployed thousands of forces to Iraq in 2014 to lead a military intervention against the Islamic State group, which had swept across a third of the country.

Even after Baghdad declared IS defeated in late 2017, US and other coalition troops continued supporting Iraqi forces with air strikes, drone surveillance and training to prevent a jihadist resurgence.

– Shrinking presence –

By late 2018, there were an estimated 5,200 troops still stationed in Iraq, making up the bulk of the 7,500 coalition forces there, according to US officials.

Over the past year, dozens of rocket attacks have targeted those forces as well as the US embassy in Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone, killing at least five military personnel — three Americans, one Briton and one Iraqi.

US officials have blamed the violence on hardline factions close to Tehran, which as Washington’s longtime foe has repeatedly demanded that all US troops leave the Middle East.

Tensions skyrocketed early this year when a US drone strike near Baghdad airport killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, prompting Tehran to mount a retaliatory missile strike against US troops in western Iraq.

Enraged by the US strike, the Iraqi parliament voted to oust all foreign troops still left in Iraq, although Kadhemi’s government — seen as friendly to the US — has stonewalled that decision.

Instead, the coalition has been quietly drawing down troops on its own since March, consolidating its presence from a dozen bases across the country to just three.

Some troops were redeployed to the main bases in Baghdad, Arbil in the north and Ain al-Asad in the west, but most were transferred outside of Iraq, US officials told AFP.

They said the downsizing was long-planned as IS had been defeated, but admitted that the withdrawal timeline was accelerated in response to rocket attacks and the fear Covid-19 could spread among military partners.

France has already withdrawn its troops and Britain has significantly downsized to just 100 personnel in recent months.

British, French and US special forces are expected to remain deployed in undisclosed locations around the country, diplomatic sources said.

Still, attacks on US targets have continued. Late Tuesday, a bomb targeted a supply convoy heading to an Iraqi base where US troops are deployed, killing one member of the Iraqi security forces.

Drawdown in Afghanistan?
The US president is also set to announce further withdrawals from Afghanistan in the coming days, the senior administration official said.

Washington currently has 8,600 soldiers deployed in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed in February between Washington and the Taliban.

The Pentagon said in August that its goal was to get down to fewer than 5,000 troops as inter-Afghan peace talks progress.

Trump previously mentioned in an interview with Axios that the White House aimed to reach 4,000 to 5,000 troops in Afghanistan before the US presidential election on November 3.

Under the US-Taliban deal, all foreign troops must leave the country by the spring of 2021, in exchange for security commitments from the militants.

Trump, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in the opinion polls, has previously promised to bring troops home in a bid to end what he has called America’s endless wars.

Tags: afghanistaniraqtrumpUS Troopswar
Previous Post

US-China tensions set to dominate Southeast Asia summit

Next Post

China’s biggest airshow cancelled for first time over pandemic

Related Posts

Vostok-2022

What is China’s game plan in Ukraine?

March 1, 2023

China is playing an increasingly prominent role on the sidelines of Russia's war in Ukraine as the conflict drags on...

China says ‘closely watching’ Ukraine situation after Russian attack

Ukraine intel chief sees no signs China plans to arm Russia

February 28, 2023

Ukraine's head of military intelligence has brushed aside claims that China is considering furnishing arms to Russia, telling US media...

Next Post
China’s biggest airshow cancelled for first time over pandemic

China's biggest airshow cancelled for first time over pandemic

Latest Defense News

China will ‘never commit to abandoning the use of force’ on Taiwan: Xi

China diplomatic offensive lays down new challenge for US

March 22, 2023
Hwasong-17 ICBM

North Korea fires ‘long-range’ missile as S. Korea president heads to Japan

March 16, 2023
North Korea fires multiple suspected cruise missiles

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles, Seoul says

March 14, 2023
Australia to get nuclear submarines in new US, British partnership

Australia to buy US nuclear subs in ambitious new pact

March 14, 2023
Su-35 Fighter Aircraft, Russian Air Force

Iran says deal reached to buy Russian fighter jets

March 13, 2023
Made in China: Saudi-Iran deal goes beyond Middle East, say analysts

Made in China: Saudi-Iran deal goes beyond Middle East, say analysts

March 13, 2023

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • Warbirds (Historical, Veteran & Vintage Military Aircraft)
  • Australian Army Discussions and Updates
  • Ukrainian - Russian War Memes.
  • Indonesian Aero News
  • Royal Danish Navy
  • Singapore’s DIS established
  • China - Geostrategic & Geopolitical.
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com