An Afghan border forces soldier stands guard at a U.S. forces base which has been handed over to Afghan border forces in Dih Bala district of Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, July 20, 2020. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

The Pentagon said in mid-July that the United States maintained its force level in Afghanistan at mid-8,000s, meeting the conditions of the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in late February.

The agreement also called for a full withdrawal of the U.S. military forces from Afghanistan by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups.

The numbers and time frame of the troop reduction plan that McKenzie disclosed on Wednesday were mainly in line with previous reports and discussions.

The Wall Street Journal wrote in a late August piece that the Pentagon would reduce military presence in Iraq by roughly one-third over the next two or three months, bringing U.S. troop numbers down to 3,500.

Pentagon chief Mark Esper also confirmed last month that U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be lowered to less than 5,000 by the end of November.

As the presidential election looms, President Donald Trump has doubled down efforts to seek to fulfill his campaign promise to bring troops home and to pull his country out of "endless wars."