had 180,000 troops total in
Iraq and Afghanistan, officials noted. Today, there are 150,000 U.S.
troops deployed to
Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of the year, there will be fewer than 100,000 U.S. troops in the two countries, they estimated.)
The remaining mission is to consolidate the gains made to try to prevent Afghanistan and Pakistan from becoming safe havens from which al Qaeda can perpetrate attacks against the United States in the future.