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| Iraq |
| Iraqi gov’t confirms US military drawdown following ISIS defeat |
| 2018-02-06 |
| [RUDAW.NET] The Iraqi government has confirmed earlier reports that the US military presence in the country will be drawn down following Baghdad's declaration of victory over ISIS in December. "The battle against ISIS (ISIS) has ended and so the level of the American presence will be reduced," Iraqi government front man Saad al-Hadithi said, according to AP. This does not mark the beginning of a complete US withdrawal, al-Hadithi stressed, saying the drawdown is only in its early stages. According to AP, an official close to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said up to 60 per cent of US forces could soon be withdrawn. According to a Pentagon report in November, there were 8,892 US troops in Iraq as of last September. The planned reduction would leave a force of roughly 4,000. |
| Posted by:Fred |