WASHINGTON (US) – The United States will reduce its military presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 this month, said the military on Wednesday. This formalises a move that was long due.
There were reports that the US would reduce its troops in Iraq by a third.
The US has deployed around 5,200 troops in the Middle Eastern country to fight the Islamic State and officials of the US-led coalition said Iraqi forces are now in a position to handle the remaining hardliners on their own.
“We are continuing to expand on our partner capacity programs that enable Iraqi forces and allow us to reduce our footprint in Iraq,” Marine General Frank McKenzie, who heads the US Central Command, said during a visit to Iraq.
On Tuesday, a senior government official said that President Donald Trump would be announcing a reduction in the number of US troops in Iraq.
Washington and Baghdad had reaffirmed their commitment to reducing the number of US troops in coming months and the Trump administration has no plans to maintain permanent bases or a military presence.