‘Only 17,000 US soldiers left in Iraq’
November 25th, 2011 - 12:31 am ICT by IANS
Baghdad, Nov 24 (IANS) The US is continuing to draw down its troops in Iraq as scheduled, as there are only 17,000 US troops remaining in Iraq besides seven military bases still being under their control, the Iraqi Defence Ministry said Thursday.
“The number of the US forces remaining in Iraq till this moment (is) 17,000 troops. Their mission is to provide logistical support to forces withdrawing and leaving Iraq before the end of next month,” said Iraqi Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari.
Al-Askari said that the US troops have withdrawn from all military bases across the country except from the seven bases which they will depart in the coming days.
Meanwhile, as per an Iraqi newspaper’s report about 700 Americans, mostly civilian trainers, will remain in Iraq to help train Iraqi forces after the withdrawal of the US troops by the year-end.
On Oct 21, US President Barack Obama announced that all the US troops stationed in Iraq would pull out of the country by the year-end and the Iraqi War would be over.
Under a security agreement named Status of Forces Agreement between Baghdad and Washington in 2008, the US would pull out all its troops from that country by Dec 31, 2011.
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Tags: al askari, barack obama, defence ministry spokesman, iraq baghdad, iraqi forces, iraqi newspaper, iraqi war, logistical support, military bases, mohammed, security agreement, status of forces agreement, train, troops in iraq, year end