CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire is urging the Trump administration to carefully reconsider any decision to hastily withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
“President (Donald) Trump’s denial of the election results and outright attacks on our democratic process are alarming in their own right, but coupled with this significant shift in our foreign policy make his actions all the more dangerous,” Shaheen, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said in a statement.
Shaheen, a Democrat, said Iraq and Afghanistan can’t be allowed to “yet again, become a safe haven for terrorists looking to do Americans harm. Further, we cannot leave NATO and our partners in the dark. Any withdrawal must be conditions-based. Congress passed existing laws to ensure that any withdrawal going forward is not based on arbitrary timelines or political considerations.”
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Tuesday announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the decision fulfills Trump’s pledge to bring forces home, even as Republicans and U.S. allies warn against a rash withdrawal.
Miller said the plan will cut the number of troops in Afghanistan from more than 4,500 to 2,500, and in Iraq from about 3,000 to 2,500.
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