Number of US troops in Iraq falls below 50,000

THE number of US troops in Iraq has fallen below 50,000 for the first time since the 2003 US-led invasion and ahead of the end-of-the-month deadline mandated by President Barack Obama.

The number is a watershed in the more than seven years that the US has been at war in Iraq. Under Obama’s plan, forces will no longer conduct combat operations but are instead to focus on training Iraqi troops.

“We’ve met our goal,” General Ray Odierno, the commanding general in Iraq, said yesterday. “But the story is not about 50,000. The story is that we are continuing to be committed to Iraq. But our commitment is going to change.”

Odierno said that future focus will be on economic, political, cultural, and technological developments.

There are currently 49,700 troops in Iraq and that number will remain level through next summer, Odierno said.

The drawdown comes at a fragile moment in Iraq’s history when many are wondering whether the country’s tenuous security and democracy gains are at risk of backsliding.

The country has gone almost half a year without a government following the March 7 parliamentary elections. The elections failed to produce a clear winner to lead Iraq, and frequent attacks by insurgents are raising doubts about the ability of Iraqi forces to protect the country in the absence of American backup.

Underlining the threat, an al-Qaida in Iraq front group announced it has targeted Iraqi judges in its campaign to re-ignite sectarian strife. The judges are on al-Qaida’s hit list because of handing death sentences to “Sunnis, imprisoned in Shiite prisons,” the group said.

Iraqi police said four judges have been wounded since the threat was announced on August 11.