American military presence in Iraq will be reduced from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, US Central Command announces.
The United States military on Wednesday announced it will reduce its presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, formalising a move that had been long expected.
“We are continuing to expand on our partner capacity programmes that enable Iraqi forces and allow us to reduce our footprint in Iraq,” Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, said during a visit to Iraq.
The US and Iraq in June affirmed their commitment to the reduction of American troops in the country in coming months, with no plans by Washington to maintain permanent bases or a permanent military presence.
The US has about 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the armed group ISIL (ISIS). Officials in the US-led coalition said Iraqi forces are now mostly able to handle the ISIL remnants on their own.
Late Tuesday, a senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on board Air Force One that such an announcement was coming and an announcement on the withdrawal of additional troops from Afghanistan also could be expected in the coming days.
‘Continued commitment’
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and left in 2011, but returned in 2014 after ISIL overran large parts of the country.
The remaining US forces will continue advising and assisting Iraqi security forces as they attempt to root out ISIL fighters, McKenzie said.
“The US decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi security force that is capable of preventing an ISIS resurgence and of securing Iraq’s sovereignty without external assistance,” McKenzie said.
“The journey has been difficult, the sacrifice has been great, but the progress has been significant.”
‘Endless wars’
In 2016, Trump campaigned on ending the US’s “endless wars” but US troops remain in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, albeit in smaller numbers.
Last month, during a meeting with the Iraqi prime minister, Trump redoubled his promise
