Sources in Washington stated that the Ministry of Defense (Pentagon) intends to reduce the number of its forces in Iraq by a third in the coming months, which means restoring the situation it was in there 5 years ago.
The Wall Street Journal and Reuters news agency quoted US officials as saying that the Pentagon intends to reduce the number of its forces in Iraq by a third within the next two or three months, to keep about 3,500 soldiers only.
The same sources stated that withdrawing a third of the forces from Iraq will restore them to what they were in 2015, during the beginnings of the United States' campaign against ISIS.
Washington has deployed about 5,200 troops in Iraq to fight ISIS, but officials in the US-led coalition say Iraqi forces are now able to deal with the remains of the group.
In June, the United States and Iraq confirmed their commitment to reduce US forces in the coming months, as President Donald Trump had previously pledged during his 2016 election campaign to put an end to "America's never-ending wars."