published Dec 20, 2018, 7:22:50 PM, by Tony Capaccio(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 GalluCOPYRIGHT © 2018 Bloomberg L.P