US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, pictured during a congressional hearing on April 29, 2026, has ordered the withdrawal of some 5,000 US troops from Germany

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, pictured during a congressional hearing on April 29, 2026, has ordered the withdrawal of some 5,000 US troops from Germany

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The announcement came after President Donald Trump threatened earlier this week to remove troops from NATO ally Germany amid a row with its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, over the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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