Trump to Reduce Iraq Troops from 5,200 to 3,500 Before Election

President Trump definitely did do one big thing: get people to hate these endless wars in the Middle East.

It would be really hard to start one of these again.

Reuters:

The United States is expected to reduce its troops presence in Iraq by about a third in the coming months, a U.S. official said on Friday, a move that had been expected after President Donald Trump’s administration committed to a reduction recently.

The United States has around 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State militant group. Officials in the U.S.-led coalition say Iraqi forces are now mostly able to handle the remnants of Islamic State on their own.

The United States and Iraq in June affirmed their commitment to the reduction of U.S. troops in the country in coming months, with no plans by Washington to maintain permanent bases or a permanent military presence.

In 2016 Trump campaigned on ending America’s “endless wars,” but U.S. troops remain in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, albeit in smaller numbers.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States would go down to about 3,500 troops in Iraq in the next two to three months.

Iraq’s parliament had voted earlier this year for the departure of foreign troops from Iraq, and United States and other coalition troops have been leaving as part of a drawdown.

It would be nice if people had the same attitude towards all wars that they have towards Middle East wars.