US troops and their allies have withdrawn from the Taji base north of Iraq’s capital Baghdad and handed it over to Iraqi security forces.
The pullout took place on Sunday following several rocket attacks targeting the military base.
“The movement of coalition military personnel is part of a long-range plan coordinated with the government of Iraq,” the US military said in a statement, adding that the Taji base held up to 2,000 forces, most of whom departed this summer.
The remaining US troops, it said, will depart in the coming days after finalizing the handing over of equipment to Iraqi security forces.
The US military further said that Sunday’s withdrawal was the eighth transfer of a foreign portion of an Iraqi base back to local forces.
Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, the spokesperson for Iraq’s joint operations, confirmed that the Taji base “was being used to train, prepare, and rehabilitate the Iraqis by Australian, New Zealand, and American forces.”
“It will now be dedicated for the usage of the Iraqi security forces,” he told the Iraqi News Agency.
Meanwhile, al-Dijlah TV reported that Taji’s training sites had been handed over to the Iraqis and the remaining sites will follow as scheduled.
Source: Press TV
