Alsumaria News quoted Douglas Silliman saying in a presser at the embassy in Baghdad that U.S. military presence has been decreased in Iraq, especially in Anbar province in coordination with Iraqi forces.
He noted that the next months will see U.S. troops reduced gradually without a replacement.
According to Silliman, the U.S. is currently focused on the training of Iraqi troops to maintain control over areas recaptured from Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
Lion of Islams, as well as humanitarian aid
to refugees.He put the total of U.S. expenditure on security at recaptured areas, including demining efforts, at USD112 million, besides other funds spent through the UNDP in Iraq.
The Pentagon said in November it maintains nearly 8000 troops in Iraq.
Iraqi officials have regularly said the U.S.-led coalition forces, which supported Iraqi operations against IS since 2014, had not been engaged in ground combat, and were rather providing air and artillery backup.