ISIS Defeat Means US Troops No Longer Needed in Iraq, Says PM Al-Sudani
- Iraq can handle group’s remaining fighters, Al-Sudani says
- Some US lawmakers worry withdrawal could benefit ISIS or Iran
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Iraq’s prime minister said US troops are no longer needed in his country because they have largely succeeded in vanquishing ISIS, and he plans to announce a timetable for their withdrawal soon.
The US has about 2,500 military personnel in Iraq, a legacy of an American-led coalition formed in 2014 to combat the Islamist group widely known as ISIS. While the organization is much weaker than a decade ago — when it held major cities and provinces in Iraq and Syria and shocked the world by posting beheadings online — its fighters still operate in both nations.