US officials believe Trump will withdraw more of his country's forces in Iraq and Afghanistan

Washington-SANA

US military leaders have suggested that President Donald Trump will issue a formal order this week to start an additional withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq.

CNN quoted US officials as saying that this order is expected to be issued before Trump leaves office on January 20.

The officials added: The Pentagon has issued a notice to commanders known as a "warning order" to begin planning to reduce the number of US forces to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and the same in Iraq by January 15, down from approximately 4,500 US troops in Afghanistan and 3,000 troops in Iraq.

While the Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment, the network indicated that this step contradicts the recommendations of military leaders who have long argued that any additional withdrawals should be conditionally based and that the situation does not currently deserve an additional withdrawal.

It is noteworthy that Trump made the withdrawal from the wars that the United States entered into a number of regions of the world a cornerstone of his foreign policy, despite the survival of thousands of these forces and their occupation of lands in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan so far and the strengthening of their presence.