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How Many Troops Are In Iraq Right Now ?
According to the latest reports coming out towards the end of 2009, it was estimated that around 142,000 troops are currently in Iraq. This is equivalent to approximately 14 brigades. |
Many people were surprised to see this figure as the number of US troops in Iraq is more than what they were during the former USPresident George W Bush's time. During that period, the troops were 11,000 less.
However, it should be noted that even though the US has increased the number of troops stationed in Iraq, the actual combat brigades in the country have reduced from twenty to fourteen. The increase is primarily due to logistic and support soldiers.
Thanks to the presence of US troops in Iraq, the violence and insurgency has decreased quite a bit in the country. However, at the same time, there is a lot of pressure on current US President Barack Obama to reduce the number of US troops in the country.
When President Obama took office, he had assured the nation that he would start bringing home the soldiers. However, this is easier said than done. Withdrawing soldiers will take time. While violence has decreased, there are still fractions of Al Qaeda across the country who are fighting the local police and soldiers. Nonetheless, President Obama is looking at options to withdraw the US troops at the earliest. First a plan would have to be formulated and alternatives would need to be worked out with the Iraqi government.
Also the time taken to close a military facility can take months. For instance, a facility with 300 soldiers could take around 2 months to shut down. There are around 200 facilities all throughout the country of varying sizes that need to be shut when the US plans to pull out of Iraq.
Also, one must not forget the government contractors who are based in Iraq. These consist of 148,050 contractors working for the defense and nearly 40,000 of them are Americans.
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