The Americans have officially completed combat operations against the terrorist organization "Islamic State". Yesterday, December 11, the portal military.com He reported that the US Department of Defense announced the curtailment of the military mission in Iraq.
The US Defense Ministry called this step the result of bilateral negotiations with Iraq. So, in July, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadimi said that his country no longer needed American troops. At the same time, he asked the Americans to stay to train the Iraqi army.
American soldiers in Iraq
Image source: militarytimes.com
"This is a natural evolution. But this will not lead to any immediate changes in the alignment of US forces and their numbers," US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby commented on the decision. About 2,500 American troops continue to remain on the territory of Iraq.
In 2014, US President Barack Obama ordered US troops to be sent back to Iraq. This step was taken in response to the Islamists' seizure of a large part of the country and the collapse of the Iraqi security forces.
