About 2,200 troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by end of September-US

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 By Isaac Newton Tetteh – GITFIConline.com

The United State Of America (USA) is set to withdraw more than a third of its troops from Iraq by the end of September 2020, top Middle East commander of the United State Army has said.

Gen Kenneth McKenzie told reporters that, the troop presence would be reduced from about 5,200 to 3,000 during September.

Those remaining will continue to advise and assist Iraqi security forces in “rooting out the final remnants” of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

Last month, US President Donald Trump reaffirmed that he planned to pull all troops out of Iraq as soon as possible.

He is expected to hail the reduction of forces as progress towards his 2016 election campaign promise to disentangle the US from “endless wars”.

The presence of US troops has also become a major issue in Iraq since the US killed top Iranian general QasemSoleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad in January.

Days later, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill directing the government to end operations by foreign forces on Iraqi soil, although that has not yet been implemented.

The US has also accused Iran-backed Iraqi militias of stepping up rocket attacks on bases housing its forces since then, including one in March that killed two Americans and one British soldier.

Source: Reuters