Iran Press/Middle East: “The troops will go to different bases in the region, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, and some will go home in the coming weeks,” Myles B. Caggins III, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), told Efe news on Wednesday.
He did not reveal the name of the bases in question or the exact timing of the departure of the troops “due to operational security”.
On Tuesday, the international coalition handed over to Iraqi authorities the military base of al-Qaim located in the western province of Anbar, on the border with Syria.
The move came in the wake of “Iraq success in the fight against ISIS (DAESH), in conjunction with partner forces and the government of Iraq, CJTF-OIR will relocate and consolidate personnel and equipment from several Iraqi bases throughout 2020”, the spokesman tweeted on Tuesday.
The coalition “will relocate and consolidate personnel and equipment from several Iraqi bases throughout 2020”, he said in a statement without providing details on the number of the bases or their location.
It “will continue anti-ISIS advising and training operations. The Coalition will operate from fewer locations but remains committed to supporting our partners”, the statement added.
The US military presence in Iraq has become a hot-button issue in the country since a US drone bombed and assassinated Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani Iran's top counter-terrorism commander and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad international airport on Friday 3 January 2020. 212/ 104
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