U.S. Drawdown in Afghanistan on Track to Hit 2,500 Troops by January

We can get up very quickly, move great numbers of people very quickly, it seems to be it’s a very segmented and incremental withdrawal and we’re going to meet the timeline,” the official said, citing commanders on the ground.Trump last month ordered a U.S. troop drawdown from 4,500 to 2,500, the lowest number of U.S. forces in almost two decades.U.S. defense and military officials have insisted they will still be able to continue the U.S.’s dual missions of training and advising the Afghan military and conducting counterterrorism missions with the smaller force.“The US is going to continue to be there for the [Afghan National Defense Security Forces],” the official said, adding that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Scott Miller “feels [we] can accomplish our reduced footprint and…our train, advise and assist, counterterrorism mission.”The official said despite the drawdown, there will still be a “constellation” of U.S. and allied bases in Afghanistan.“You’re still going to see a constellation, it’s just going to be smaller.