BAGHDAD — The number of American soldiers in Iraq has dropped below 100,000 for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, in a clear signal the U.S. is wrapping up its nearly seven- year war to meet a deadline for leaving the country, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
The troop reduction comes at a critical time in Iraq as Washington questions the shaky democracy’s ability to maintain security in the tense atmosphere before March 7 parliamentary elections. Those concerns have only grown with a decision by a vetting committee to bar hundreds of candidates from running because of suspected ties to Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Baath Party.
The U.S. military plans on maintaining its current 98,000 boots on the ground in Iraq through the elections, said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Feste, an Army spokeswoman in Baghdad.
That’s in line with what Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has said would remain in place until at least 60 days after the election — a period during which he believes Iraq’s new government will be at its most vulnerable.
