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3,500 US troops set to leave Iraq
Baghdad—About 3,500 American soldiers who were part
of last year’s troop “surge” are scheduled to leave Iraq in the
coming weeks, the U.S. military announced.
The soldiers, part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, will
redeploy to Fort Benning, Ga., the military said. The U.S. sent some
30,000 additional troops into Iraq last year to help stem growing
violence. The troop increase, a truce by a key Shiite Muslim militia
and the rise of Sunni fighters who allied with the U.S. in the
battle against al-Qaida were credited with a sharp decrease in
bloodshed during the last 10 months.
The soldiers are part of the third of five “surge” brigades
scheduled to leave the country. The other two are expected to return
to the U.S. by the end of July.
“The continued drawdown of surge brigades demonstrates continued
progress in Iraq,” Brig. Gen. Dan Allyn said in the statement
released late Monday. “After July, commanders will assess our
security posture for about 45 days and determine future force
requirements based on these conditions-based assessments.”
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has pushed for
a so-called “pause” in further redeployment of U.S. troops. Critics
have called for a quicker withdrawal of American soldiers, but
commanders on the ground insist the slowdown is needed so a sharp
increase in violence is not seen when U.S. forces leave.
Separately, the U.S. military said in a statement Tuesday that a
brothel in northern Iraq was attacked the day before. The Americans
blamed the attack on al-Qaida insurgents, but local police did not
speculate on who carried out the killings.
Iraqi police said the attack in Mosul killed three prostitutes and
wounded two others.
There have been a string of attacks against women deemed immoral in
recent months, including the bombing of hair styling salons and the
frequent murder of women not wearing traditional clothing in the
southern city of Basra.
Meanwhile, at least four civilians were killed overnight in the
Baghdad Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, hospital officials said
Tuesday. Some 21 people were injured at the same time in Sadr City,
which has seen fierce fighting between the Mahdi Army militia and
U.S. and Iraqi troops.—AP
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