The United States military on Wednesday announced that it would be reducing its presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, formalizing a move that had been long expected.
Last month, media reported that the United States was expected to reduce its troops presence in Iraq by about a third.
The United States has around 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight Daesh. Officials in the US-led coalition say Iraqi forces are now mostly able to handle the remnants of the extremist group 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, the head of US Central Command, said during a visit to Iraq.
A senior administration official had said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would be announcing a reduction of US troops from Iraq.
The United States and Iraq in June affirmed their commitment to the reduction of US troops in the country in coming months, with no plans by Washington to maintain permanent bases or a permanent military presence.
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