POST # 1000!!!!!! US to withdraw 3,500 soldiers from Iraq (Extra)
May 6, 2008, 13:38 GMT
Baghdad - About 3,500 soldiers that were part of a US troop surge in Iraq are to be withdrawn in the coming weeks, the US military said Tuesday.
The brigade, one of five units deployed in support of the surge, are to return to their home base in Fort Benning, Georgia in the next several weeks, the military said in a statement.
In June, the US deployed some 28,500 additional troops, mostly in Baghdad and surrounding areas, to improve security and curb violence.
The brigade is the third of the surge units to withdraw from Iraq while the remaining two brigades will redeploy by the end of July. The move is to decrease the number of US troops as violence in Iraq ebbs.
'The continued drawdown of surge brigades demonstrates continued progress in Iraq. After July, commanders will assess our security posture for about 45 days and determine future force requirements based on these conditions-based assessments,' said Brigadier General Dan Allyn from the US military.
