US cutting troops, air defense units deployed in Middle East
India TodayThe Pentagon said Friday it was cutting the number of troops and air defense units deployed to the Middle East, confirming a Wall Street Journal report that eight Patriot batteries were being moved out from the region. The Wall Street Journal said the Patriot anti-missile batteries were being removed from Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and that a separate anti-missile system, called THAAD, was being transferred from Saudi Arabia as well. "We maintain a robust force posture in the region appropriate to the threat and are comfortable that these changes do not negatively impact our national security interests," McNulty said. Iran is still viewed as a major threat across the Middle East, but the Biden administration is in negotiations to restore the agreement on Tehran halting its nuclear development program, which would "The Defense Department maintains tens of thousands of forces in the Middle East, representing some of our most advanced air power and maritime capabilities, in support of US national interests and our regional partnerships," McNulty said.
History of this topic
U.S. is sending more troops to the Middle East as violence rises between Israel and Hezbollah
LA Times
Pentagon pulls missile defense, other systems from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries
CNN
US begins to move equipment out of Afghanistan and approves deployment of forces to protect withdrawal operations
CNNDiscover Related
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