The Associated Press reports the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be reduced by about 3,500 next spring. The reduction is credited to increased NATO forces and a growing Afghan army.
According to the Associated Press, the reduction is credited to political progress in Afghanistan, increased NATO forces and the growth of the Afghan army:
Rumsfeld cited three main reasons for shrinking the U.S. force:
Gains in the size and quality of the new Afghan national army, which is being trained mainly by U.S. forces. It now has about 26,800 soldiers, in addition to an Afghan national police force of about 55,000;
Progress on the political front, including the seating of a new parliament on Monday;
Expansion of NATO's role.
The reduction would bring U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to about 16,500.
This is more evidence that President Bush's strategy for fighting the global war on terror is succeeding.
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