The U.S. will decrease troop numbers in Afghanistan to less than 5,000 by the end of November, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday in an interview with Fox News.

Pentagon officials will inform Congress about the plan and "the U.S. should ensure that there is no terrorist threat against it when leaving Afghanistan," Esper said.

U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios in an interview on Aug. 4 that Washington had withdrawn from Afghanistan to a considerable extent and that the number of troops there will soon decrease to 8,000.

Trump also said the U.S. would lower troops number to between 4,000 and 5,000 by the time of the country's presidential election in November.