A day after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to pull US troops out of Syria, several US media outlets reported that the president is also planning a major troop drawdown from Afghanistan.Citing unnamed US officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on 20 December thatmore than 7,000 US troops in Afghanistan would begin returning home "in the coming weeks": a move that would come as "the first stage of a phased drawdown" and the start of a conclusion to the conflict that officials say could take "at least many months".According to the US Department of Defense (DoD), the US currently maintainsapproximately 14,000 military personnel in Afghanistan as part of Operation 'Freedom's Sentinel', which remains US Central Command's main effort mission, as well as the NATO-led 'Resolute Support' mission. As of November 2018 'Resolute Support' consisted of military personnel from 41 nations (27 NATO allies and 14 operational partnercountries), with the US being the largest force contributor.
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