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US Has Made No Decisions on Military Postures in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pentagon Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has not yet decided on its military postures in either Iraq or Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.
Sputnik

"I think the current level in Iraq is around 2,500 - I have no changes to that to report out to you today," Kirby said.

With regards to Afghanistan, Kirby said "no posture decisions have been made" and the US remains committed to a political settlement.

Trump initiated a reduction of troop numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 troops each in his final two months in office.

After the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a senior Iranian military officer, the US began a gradual withdrawal from Iraq in early 2020.

The killing prompted the Iraqi parliament to demand the complete withdrawal of US forces from their country, and witnessed the US withdrawing troops and handing over military bases to its Iraqi counterparts during much of the spring, summer and fall of 2020.

The campaign to bring an end to American "endless wars" in foreign countries was one of the key promises Trump made, and at the end of his term, the former president expressed pride in being the first president in decades to not start a war.

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