Pentagon to withdraw 2,200 U.S. troops from Iraq this month

The Pentagon will scale down the U.S. military presence in Iraq this month by more than 2,000 troops, the top commander in the Middle East said Wednesday.


Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters in Baghdad the troop level will decrease from about 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of the month.

After Baghdad declared victory over the Islamic State terror group in late 2017, thousands of U.S. personnel remained in Iraq to prevent a resurgence.

"This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of [the group] in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat," McKenzie said....
 (upi)