Donald Trump has reportedly ordered that about half of them be retrieved. This should increase the criticism of his foreign policy course. In addition to the withdrawal of their soldiers from Syria, the US government also wants to reduce its own troops in Afghanistan significantly, according to media reports. Among other things, the „New York Times“ and the „Wall Street Journal“ reported on Thursday evening, about half of the 14,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan should be deducted. The newspapers refer to unnamed government officials.
According to information, US President Donald Trump has already instructed the Department of Defense to initiate troop withdrawals. The Pentagon itself did not want to comment on that, it said. The television channel CNN and the news agencies AFP and Reuters report on corresponding plans of the Trump government.
The US president has long been planning to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. However, he had probably been persuaded, among others, by his Secretary of Defense James Mattis to initially increase the number of soldiers there. According to the reports, Trump is now returning to its original course.
Defense Minister Mattis resigns
Mattis announced Thursday his withdrawal from the cabinet. As a reason, he mentioned disagreements with Trump. According to US media, Trump’s Syria decision is said to have played a major role in Mattis’s move.
On Wednesday, the president announced that he would bring home all 2,000 US troops from Syria – on the grounds that the terrorist militia „Islamic State“ (IS) was completely defeated there. This caused irritations and harsh criticism at home and abroad.
Experts consider the IS defeated by no means and a withdrawal from Syria for highly dangerous. According to several US media Trump had decided to withdraw from Syria against the express advice of Mattis as well as Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo and security adviser John Bolton.
