Trump may settle for partial troops withdrawal, despite Pentagon shakeup

US officials have said President Donald Trump might not call for a quick withdrawal of all American troops and instead settle for a partial drawdown before he leaves office.

Reuters reported a US official said on condition of anonymity that the military was expecting formal orders in the coming days to go down to about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan by early next year from around 4,500 currently in the country.

A NATO official also told Reuters they expected a 1,500 to 2,000 troop decline.

This comes after Trump fired his defense secretary, Mark Esper, last week and appointed Christopher Miller after long standing concerns that his priorities were not being dealt with urgently enough at the Defense Department.

Reuters stated this included ending the 19-year-old Afghan war by Christmas – a target considered ambitious but one which Trump’s critics warned could be reckless given ongoing militant violence plaguing Afghanistan.

Miller has since contacted numerous defense ministers and other senior defense chiefs from allied countries.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one senior US defense official told Reuters after the calls with allies, that Trump might not push a withdrawal faster than conditions on the ground allow.

Both US and Afghan officials have warned of troubling levels of violence by Taliban insurgents and persistent Taliban links to al Qaeda.

But US officials say Trump has yet to issue orders to carry out a withdrawal. On Monday the first US official said the Pentagon had told commanders to start planning for the more moderate reduction to 2,500 troops.

A total withdrawal now would be difficult for the US military to execute, especially given the reliance of NATO allies on the United States for logistical support, they add.

A NATO official, who asked not to be named, said the belief was the United States could soon announce a drawdown to 2,500 to 3,000 troops by Christmas.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday warned that a “rapid withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies & delight the people who wish us harm.”