The US Department of Defense (known as the Pentagon) is preparing to fulfill President Trump's order to withdraw thousands of US forces from both Afghanistan and Iraq before he officially leaves office on January 20.
The Defense Department expects Trump to order military officials, as soon as this week, to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 and the number of troops in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500 by January 15.
The surprise comes on the heels of the dismissal of a number of senior officials in the Pentagon last week and the placing of many of Trump's supporters in the top ranks of the ministry.
The reshuffling of the department began on November 9 when Trump sacked then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and appointed Christopher Miller as Pentagon caretaker.
Miller issued an official statement indicating the current role of the United States in supporting counter-terrorism campaigns in the Middle East (ME).
He said: "The war on terrorism war is not over, the USA is nearing defeating the Al Qaeda group and its associates, but we must avoid our previous strategic mistake of failing to see the fight to the end."
Days before Trump sacked Esper, the Pentagon chief sent a classified memo to the president advising him that conditions in Afghanistan were insufficient for any additional troop withdrawal that could undermine peace talks there.
However, the US allies said that they would stay behind in Afghanistan as needed.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General stated that "NATO's position has not changed" regarding its role in Afghanistan.
He indicated that no NATO ally wants to stay longer than necessary. At the same time, we want to preserve the gains made through these sacrifices, and to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who could attack the United States or any other NATO ally.
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