According to the Trump Administration, the US presence in Iraq will be cut to 3500 from the current 5200 troops that are currently stationed on Iraqi soil. The announcement was made this weekend and it is expected that the withdrawal will take 2 or 3 months.
U.S. planning to cut military presence in Iraq – https://t.co/d1MGNQ2QsA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020
This is a significant reduction of US’ military presence (one third give or take) in one of the world’s hottest areas; however, the US didn’t provide public figures in regard to the number of troops in Iraq for months, yet 5200 is the highest-allowed figure by the Iraq-US troop agreement.
So far, the Pentagon did not comment on Trump Administration’s plan to reduce the US presence in Iraq. However, it took months for the Pentagon to admit that the US is withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, and now we have military officials confirming President Trump’s planned reduction of US military forces from Iraq:
“We are reducing troop levels as the Iraqi capability to defeat ISIS remnants and prevent its resurgence improves,” using an acronym for the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
“Any reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq will be determined through careful coordination with the government of Iraq, as well as with our coalition and NATO partners, and calibrated to our shared security interests and progress in the campaign against ISIS,”
said Pentagon spokesperson Commander Jessica L. McNulty in a statement for Voice of America.
The future of US forces in Iraq was discussed previously during last week’s Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi official visit to the White House. According to military experts, Iraqi forces proved their effectiveness in combating ISIS, and the ultimate objective for the Trump Administration seems to be the complete withdrawal of the last 3500 US troops stationed in Iraq by 2023, provided he wins a second term in November.
Iraqi officials have yet to make any announcement.
Photo Credit: AP