Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller announced yesterday that US troop levels in Iraq have reached 2,500, as ordered by President Trump to be reached by Jan. 15. “The drawdown of U.S. force levels in Iraq is reflective of the increased capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces,” he said in a Pentagon statement. “We have long anticipated that the force level required to support Iraq’s fight against ISIS would decrease as Iraq’s capability to manage the threat from ISIS improves. Our ability to reduce force levels is evidence of real progress.” Despite the drawdown, however, the US remains committed to the anti-ISIS fight, he said. No mention was made in the statement about US troops in Syria, however.
Miller announced that the number of US troops in Afghanistan has also reached 2,500, the smallest number since 2001. “Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire,” Miller said. U.S. forces will continue to execute the counterterrorism mission and the mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces, Miller said. “Continued fulfillment of these two complementary missions seeks to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used to harbor those who seek to bring harm to the United States of America,” he said.
The force reduction shows U.S. support for the Afghan peace process that was negotiated with the Taliban, Miller said. “Moving forward, while the department continues with planning capable of further reducing U.S. troop levels to zero by May of 2021, any such future drawdowns remain conditions-based,” he wrote. “All sides must demonstrate their commitment to advancing the peace process. Further, the United States will continue to take any action necessary to ensure protection of our homeland, our citizens and our interests.”
Miller makes no reference to the fact that the National Defense Authorization Act, passed into law over President Donald Trump’s veto at the end of last month, prohibits the drawdown of US troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan (and Germany) unless the president certifies that doing so won’t harm U.S. national security. In his veto message, Trump had said that that provision violates the commander-in-chief authorities of the president in the U.S. Constitution, and he ignored it.
