Middle East: Circles: The USA pulls some troops from Iraq

The United States pulls some of its troops from bases in Iraq. Some US soldiers would gradually leave the military base Ain al-Assad in the province of Anbar and the Victoria base near the airport in the capital Baghdad, the German press agency learned from security circles. However, a smaller number of US troops should remain in an advisory function and as an instructor at the bases.

There was initially no official confirmation from the USA or from Iraq.

The deduction is part of a previous agreement of the governments in Baghdad and Washington by partial deduction from some locations until the end of September. About a year ago, the United States announced that the military presence in Iraq was reorganizing a security partnership. It was not a troop deduction, it said at the time from Washington – details and questions remained open.

IS is considered military defeated, but there are still attacks

The United States is leading an international coalition to the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and neighboring Syria. The assignment began after the IS in 2014 overrun large areas in both countries. IS is considered to be militarily defeated, but IS fighters are still active in both countries who also carry out attacks.

Most recently, according to the US government, around 2,500 American soldiers were stationed in Iraq, according to Iraqi sources there were more than 3,000. According to the Pentagon, there were around 700 soldiers in Syria. According to Iraqi security circles, the troops that are now pulling off should be stationed in the Iraqi Kurdish region and in the neighboring Kuwait.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has long been under pressure through Iran-loyal groups as well as political parties and militias to advance the withdrawal of the US troops. At the same time, the Iraqi security forces are continuing to help the US military, for example, for soil and air inserts to arrest or kill IS leaders.