8,000 US troops remain in Iraq

US military forces leaving Iraq (file photo)

Some 8,000 US troops have remained in Iraq despite Washington's plan for the complete withdrawal of US forces by the turn of 2011, Press TV reports.

The troops, along with 14 warplanes, 125 helicopters and 28 drones, are mainly based in Iraq's Kurdistan region in the north.

The US troops have been stationed in Jordan and some Persian Gulf Arab countries as well as some new locations in Kuwait after leaving Iraq while a small number of them have returned to the United States, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The last US military base was handed over to Iraqi officials on December 16. However, Washington is reportedly seeking to pose threats against Iran by maintaining its troops' presence in Iraq's Kurdistan.
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