US formally announces troop reduction in Iraq

REUTERS - The United States military on Wednesday announced that it would be reducing its presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, formalizing a move that had been long expected. Last month, Reuters reported that the United States was expected to reduce its troops presence in Iraq by about a third. The United States has around 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State militant group. Officials in the Us-led coalition say Iraqi forces are now mostly able to handle the remnants of Islamic State on their own.