Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, announced today that the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will be reduced from the current level of just over 5,000 to 3,000. “This reduced footprint allows us to continue advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS in Iraq and ensuring its enduring defeat,” he said today during a change of command ceremony for the U.S. military command in Baghdad. “The U.S. decision is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to the ultimate goal, which is an Iraqi Security Force that is capable of preventing an ISIS resurgence and of securing Iraq’s sovereignty without external assistance,” he said.