Iraq said on Friday that it had reached a security agreement with the U.S. to reduce American combat units and capabilities at military bases in the country.
The agreement was reached at a meeting in Baghdad between Iraqi and U.S. military committees as part of strategic dialogue talks between the two countries.
The state Iraqi news agency INA reported this in a military statement.
“Both parties have agreed to reduce U.S. combat units and capabilities from military bases in Ain al-Assad in western Iraq and Erbil in the north in terms to be completed by the end of September,” the statement said.
The agreement came under a plan to move to a non-combat role for U.S.-led international coalition forces in Iraq, the country’s Joint Operation Command said.
In July, the U.S. said it planned to officially end its combat mission in Iraq and focus solely on training and advising security forces in the country in the future.
The combat troops still in Iraq would leave by the end of the year, according to a joint statement from both governments back in July.
The role of international soldiers in Iraq is to support the government in its fight against Islamic State militants, the statement said at the time when Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was on a visit to the U.S.
According to the White House, there are currently some 2,500 U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq.
The future figure would depend on the demands of the changed mission, it said.
The U.S. deployment is a contentious issue in Iraq where the U.S. led an invasion in 2003.
In recent months, Iran-allied Iraqi parties and Shiite militias have stepped up calls for U.S. forces’ withdrawal, while other forces such as Sunni parties and Kurds want U.S. troops to stay. (dpa/NAN)