US army
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The Trump administration is expected to cut the number of US troops in Afghanistan almost in half to 2,500 by January 15, US officials said on Monday, according to The Associated Press.

The order would stop short of President Donald Trump's goal to have all troops withdrawn by the end of the year, which had faced opposition from military and diplomatic advisers.

The Pentagon also expects to cut the number of troops in Iraq to 2,500, a reduction of more than 500, the news agency said. The cuts give Trump an accomplishment in his final weeks in office.

The officials said military leaders were told over the weekend about the planned withdrawals and added that an executive order is in the works but has not yet been delivered to commanders.

There are between 4,500-5,000 troops in Afghanistan now, and more than 3,000 in Iraq. The Trump administration announced a withdrawal of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan in late 2019.

The US exit from Afghanistan was laid out in a February agreement Washington reached with the Taliban, noted AP. That agreement said US troops would be out of Afghanistan in 18 months, provided the Taliban honored a commitment to fight terrorist groups, with most attention seemingly focused on the Islamic State (ISIS) group's affiliate in the country.