US reduces its troop numbers in Iraq from 2,500 to less than 2,000.

1. Washington - "Jerusalem" dot com - Said Arikat

The U.S. Department of Defense (formerly the Department of War) confirmed that American forces will remain in Iraq indefinitely under an agreement signed with the Iraqi government last year, which called for the end of the U.S.-led mission against ISIS in the country. According to the "Stars and Stripes" (the U.S. military's publication), a senior Pentagon official stated that the United States is slightly reducing its troop presence, raising the total number of American military personnel from 2,500 to less than 2,000. The majority of the remaining troops will be stationed in Erbil, in the northern Kurdistan region.

The official from the Department of Defense added that U.S. forces are in the process of leaving Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq. The United States will keep some military personnel in Baghdad, who will be tasked with "bilateral security cooperation."

While the United States maintains its forces in Iraq, the official claimed that this reduction ends the "endless war" in the country. The official stated, "First, we are ending the endless war in Iraq." He added, "Second, we are transferring the burden of responsibility for combating ISIS in Iraq from U.S. and coalition forces to our Iraqi partners. We have trained them for a decade, and they have the capability to confront ISIS and the will to do so. Third, we are giving the Iraqis themselves a great deal of credit."

The Pentagon is also bolstering its presence in neighboring Syria, where it plans to reduce the number of troops to less than 1,000. It has closed some bases in northeastern Syria and handed them over to the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The majority of U.S. troops in Syria are expected to be stationed at the Al-Tanf base in the south, located at the intersection of the borders of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan.

For years, the Pentagon claimed that only 900 American soldiers were occupying Syria, but the Biden administration revealed late last year that the actual number was 2,000. Media reports indicated that the United States may formalize its presence in Syria by signing an agreement with the new Syrian government led by Ahmad al-Shara, the former leader of al-Qaeda who came to power after his jihadist group ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.