Pentagon to Pull A Third of US Troops Out of Iraq

By Staff, Agencies

The Pentagon is cutting the number of troops stationed in Iraq, US officials reported.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the American occupation’s military presence in the country ‘will fall by one third to approximately 3,500 troops over the next two or three months.’

It is expected that US President Donald Trump will promote the move as evidence that he is fulfilling a promise to wind down US involvement overseas in what he calls “endless wars”.

The withdrawal would bring the number of US occupation troops in Iraq to the approximate level it was in 2015 near the start of their alleged fight against Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group].

The Pentagon is pulled between two objectives — reducing its presence in the Middle East, while maintaining a pressure on Iran; and shifting its focus towards building a stronger presence in Asia to counter China.

Relatively, Trump is keen to show progress in bringing American troops home. Those returning from Iraq would add to previous reductions in Afghanistan and at permanent bases in Germany.

A communique issued by the US and Iraq last week indicated that troop cuts were on the horizon when it noted that the mission in Iraq had shifted from combatting Daesh to training Iraqi forces, which requires fewer personnel.

There are currently 5,200 US occupation troops stationed across the country.

US occupation troops have been stationed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.