12,000 US troops to exit Iraq by autumn
12,000 American troops to withdraw from Iraq within six months, Pentagon says
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Sunday, 08, Mar 2009 12:32
More than 12,000 American troops are to leave Iraq within six months under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
A statement from the Pentagon said two combat brigades would be withdrawn by September.
The Iraqi government also confirmed that the withdrawal of 4,000 British troops from the country's south, already announced by Gordon Brown, would go ahead as planned by July.
"We have agreed that a total of 12,000 US troops will be withdrawn by the end of September 2009," said Baghdad government spokesman Ali Dabbagh.
A US military statement added: "Two brigade combat teams who were scheduled to redeploy in the next six months, along with enabling forces such as logistics, engineers and intelligence, will not be replaced."
The US currently has about 135,000 troops in Iraq. Barack Obama wants all combat troops to be withdrawn by August next year, with any US military presence completely removed by the end of 2011.
The president intends to redeploy many US troops in Iraq to Afghanistan, where 17,000 American soldiers are being deployed in August.