US to Withdraw 4,000 Troops From Iraq

US to Withdraw 4,000 Troops From Iraq
May 29, 2008
Agence France-Presse

The U.S. military announced on May 29 the withdrawal of another 4,000 "surge" troops from Iraq after reporting that violence across the country has hit a four-year low.

It said the latest pullout was to be completed by next month. It is the fourth brigade to withdraw from Iraq out of five that deployed under the controversial "surge" of American forces in February 2007.

"The brigade played an integral role in establishing the conditions for long-term security in Iraq by reducing violence in the Diyala province by 70 percent," the military said in a statement.

The latest withdrawal announcement came after U.S. officials said that last week had seen the lowest level of violence across Iraq in four years, but gave no casualty figures.

Figures maintained by the independent website www.icasualties.org show that the number of U.S. fatalities so far this month was 19, the lowest average since the American invasion in March 2003.


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