New York, Oct. 9 (BNA): The United Nations intends to begin significantly reducing its peacekeeping forces and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers to withdraw from various conflict zones worldwide in the coming months, due to the latest cuts in US funding to the organisation.

A senior UN official said the plan includes a 25% reduction in peacekeeping personnel worldwide, following the United States' shift to align with President Donald Trump’s "America First" policy.

The reduction will affect between 13,000 and 14,000 military and police personnel out of over 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions, including the UN support office in Somalia.

The UN also plans to cut approximately 15% from the peacekeeping budget of $5.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.

N.B, A.S, Z.I