U.S. forces to stay in Iraq as long as needed: spokesman

[TomSea]

U.S. forces to stay in Iraq as long as needed: spokesman
Tuqa Khalid

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - U.S. forces will stay in Iraq “as long as needed” to help stabilize regions previously controlled by Islamic State, a spokesman for the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the militants said on Sunday.

“We’ll keep troops there as long as we think they’re needed ... The main reason, after ISIS (Islamic State) is defeated militarily, is the stabilization efforts and we still need to be there for that, so that’s one of the reasons we’ll maintain a presence,” Colonel Sean Ryan told a news conference in Abu Dhabi.

The number of American soldiers could go down however, depending on when other forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation deploy to help train the Iraqi army, he said, adding that about 5,200 U.S. troops are currently based in Iraq.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-usa/u-s-forces-to-stay-in-iraq-as-long-as-needed-spokesman-idUSKBN1L408A