US to withdraw half its troops in Afghanistan

According to a CNN report, the US military has been ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan.

The agency said this on Thursday, citing a US defense official with direct knowledge of the matter.

The official said planning is underway, and it could take months to withdraw the nearly 7,000 troops.

The decision was made Tuesday, at the same time as President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US military from Syria - moves that precipitated Defense Secretary James Mattis’ resignation announcement on Thursday.

Some administration officials noted that Trump wants to draw down US troops in Afghanistan and plans to announce it in his State of the Union speech, which is traditionally held at the end of January or early February.

Gen. John Allen, a former commander of NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, said that a drawdown in Afghanistan would be a mistake.

“Pulling out right now, just the announcement would create chaos in the strategy,” Allen noted.

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the United States is part of NATO’s Resolute Support mission.