Last week, media reports arose in the wake of the announced Syria
pullout that President Trump was also planning a substantial drawdown of
US ground troops from Afghanistna. This was to remove some 5,000 to
7,000 troops, depending on the report.
Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan,
heard the same reports in the same newspapers as everyone else. He
insists, however, that’s all he knows about it, and that he’s gotten no orders for any such drawdown.
Not that Gen. Miller ruled out such orders being forthcoming. Rather, he
sought to downplay the drawdown, if and when it is ordered, saying US
troops would remain committed to the war, just in a bit smaller numbers
than currently.
It is unclear why the report of the troop cuts came out before orders
were even sent, but the administration has given no signs that the
drawdown isn’t going to happen. If done, this will reduce troop levels
in Afghanistan by roughly half.
US Commander: No Orders Yet on Afghanistan Drawdown
Says he's been given no official confirmation war strategy is changing
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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