Plan to draw down US troops in Iraq to be announced soon

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted Iraqi sources and wrote: Th American forces have started special measures to prepare for leaving Iraq.

The US expects to announce next week a long-awaited agreement with Iraq on reducing the US troop presence in the country, two administration officials said on Friday.

Negotiations over the plan, which Iraqi officials have said publicly would lead to the 2,500 US troops in Iraq leaving by the end of 2026, are in their final stages, the officials said.

Earlier Iraq’s prime minister said US troops are no longer needed in his country because they have largely succeeded in vanquishing ISIL, and he plans to announce a timetable for their withdrawal soon.

MNA/