During an afternoon press conference yesterday, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. military presence in Iraq will be down to 2,000 troops in Iraq very soon. “And, We’re pretty much out of Iraq,” he said. On Wednesday (Sept. 9), U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie had announced a reduction to 3,000 U.S. troops, from the current level of 5,200.
In Iraq itself, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi yesterday paid what is being described as a “historic” visit to the border crossing between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey. At the Ibrahim Khalil crossing, Kadhimi investigated customs and tax procedures and “stressed the need to develop” Iraq’s only border point with Turkey, according to a statement from his office, reported Rudaw.
