U.S. Plans Withdrawal of 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Official Says

Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News

KORENGAL VALLEY, AFGHANISTAN - OCTOBER 27: U.S. soldiers board an Army Chinook transport helicopter after it brought fresh soldiers and supplies to the Korengal Outpost on October 27, 2008 in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. The military spends huge effort and money to fly in supplies to soldiers of the 1-26 Infantry based in the Korengal Valley, site of some of the fiercest fighting of the Afghan war. The unpaved road into the remote area is bad and will become more treacherous with the onset of winter. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) , Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. plans to withdraw 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, about half the number that are currently there, according to a U.S. defense official.

Reports of the move come one day after President Donald Trump said he would withdraw U.S. forces from Syria and hours after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation, citing differences with the president.

Trump has long criticized the U.S. war in Afghanistan, the longest military conflict in American history. The withdrawal was reported earlier by the New York Times.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu

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U.S. Plans Withdrawal of 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Official Says