For First Time, More US Troops in Afghanistan than Iraq

For the first time ever, the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is larger than the number of American forces in Iraq. Pentagon figures show that there are now 94,000 U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan and 92,000 serving in Iraq.

The crossover point for American force levels in both countries was expected to take place this Summer as the Obama administration surges 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan this year and draws down the number of forces in Iraq.

The drawdown plan in Iraq calls for reducing the number of American forces to 50,000 by September 1, a move that will require a major logistical effort over the next three months.

The number of American forces in Afghanistan by the end of 2001 numbered 2,500. For the next two years force levels remained around 10,000 and continued to rise slowly to 17,000 in 2004 . Troop levels averaged around 22,000 for much of 2006 and 2007, but force levels continued to rise after that as the Bush administration began to provide the additional troops requested by military commanders on the ground as the security situation worsened. By comparison, the number of troops in Iraq in 2006 and 2007 peaked at almost 170,000.