Bringing Our Service Members Home: Reducing Troop Levels in Afghanistan and Iraq
A blue infographic plots U.S. troop levels as a falling white line from roughly 180,000 in January 2009 to zero at the end of 2016, with dated milestones above it and a 'Promises Kept' panel of four checkmarked items below. The line after mid-2014 is a plan, not a count, and the labels after 2011 refer only to Afghanistan.
- Date
- May 27, 2014
- Period
- Contemporary
- Made by
- The White House (Obama administration), 'Share-Worthy' infographics
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Digital posts
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Obama Administration
- Leader
- Barack Obama
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- War in Afghanistan
- Techniques
- Card stacking
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- National Archives (Obama White House archived website), retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work; whitehouse.gov copyright policy)
The White House, 27 May 2014, via the National Archives archived Obama White House website
Text on the object
BRINGING OUR SERVICE MEMBERS HOME: REDUCING TROOP LEVELS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ JANUARY 2009 Roughly 180,000 troops President Obama takes office. President Obama announces a plan to responsibly end the war in Iraq. At West Point, the President puts forth a new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, including a commitment to begin the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in July of 2011. End of combat mission in Iraq. Bin Laden killed. JUNE 2011 Roughly 150,000 troops. 20 of al Qaeda's top 30 leaders have been killed, including Bin Laden. Over 100,000 Afghan security forces have been trained. The President announces that the United States will withdraw 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. END OF 2011 Less than 100,000 troops. The President announces in his State of the Union that the U.S. would withdraw another 34,000 troops within a year. SUMMER OF 2012 Roughly 70,000 troops with an additional 23,000 troops drawback from Afghanistan. EARLY 2015 9,800 U.S. troops, with our NATO allies and other partners in Afghanistan. END OF 2015 Decrease troops in Afghanistan by roughly half. END OF 2016 Normal Embassy Office of Security Cooperation in Kabul. PROMISES KEPT END THE WAR IN IRAQ President Obama removed 100,000 troops from Iraq and ended the combat mission on schedule. REFOCUS ON AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN President Obama brought focus and necessary resources. STRIKE BLOWS AGAINST AL QAEDA LEADERSHIP On May 1, 2011, President Obama announced the United States had killed Osama bin Laden, leader of al Qaeda and a terrorist responsible for the murders of thousands of innocent people. STEADY TROOP DRAWDOWN SINCE JULY 2011 10,000 troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2011, 33,000 by the summer of 2012, and another 34,000 by early 2014.
