Washington: US acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller announced that the US troop presence in Afghanistan and Iraq will be reduced to 2,500 in each country by mid-January.
Miller made the announcement in remarks to Pentagon reporters that highlighted the next step in what he called "President Trump's plan to bring the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to a successful and responsible conclusion and to bring our brave service members home," TOLO news reported on Wednesday quoting media reports.
He said that President Donald Trump made the decision to draw down troops in both countries in consultation with his top national security officials and that it did not amount to a change in policy.
Read:|Trump may pull out more troops from Iraq, Afghanistan
Miller said on Tuesday that he was announcing the implementation of Trump's "orders to continue our repositioning of forces from those two countries," according to media reports.
Speaking of the conflict in Afghanistan, Miller said that "with the blessings of providence in the coming year, we will finish this generational war and bring our men and women home."