Media: Washington withdraws Patriot missile batteries from 4 countries, including Iraq

[size=52]Including Iraq.. America withdraws anti-missile systems from a number of countries[/size]

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[size=45]The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying that the administration of US President Joe Biden is "sharply" reducing the number of American anti-missile systems in the Middle East, most of them in Saudi Arabia, as part of a reorganization process that coincides with the army's focus on the challenges they pose. China and Russia.[/size]
[size=45]The officials pointed out, according to the newspaper, that the Pentagon is working to withdraw about 8 anti-missile batteries from a group of countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.[/size]
[size=45]The United States had transferred the Patriot anti-missile systems to Iraq after Iran, in January 2020, launched missiles at the Ain al-Assad base in Anbar (western Iraq), where American forces are stationed.[/size]
[size=45]The Iranian attack came in response to an attack by a US drone that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.[/size]
[size=45]The sources pointed out the start of withdrawing the THAAD anti-missile system from Saudi Arabia, in addition to reducing the fleet of jet fighters dedicated to the region.[/size]
[size=45]According to the Wall Street Journal, the redeployment affects hundreds of soldiers working in the units operating or supporting these systems.[/size]
[size=45]The US Department of Defense has not officially commented on the news reported by the newspaper.[/size]
[size=45]The move coincides with plans for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, by the summer.[/size]
[size=45]The United States has reduced its troop presence in Iraq by half, or 2,500 soldiers, leaving the security of the country to the Iraqi forces.[/size]
[size=45]The officials confirmed that the recent reductions had begun earlier this June, after a call in which the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, informed the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, about the changes, according to the newspaper.[/size]
[size=45]Officials noted that the majority of military equipment being withdrawn is from Saudi Arabia.[/size]
[size=45]According to the newspaper, the decision to withdraw some defense systems reflects the Pentagon’s view that the risk of escalating hostility between Washington and Tehran has declined in parallel with the Biden administration’s follow-up to its discussions on the nuclear agreement with Iran, and its openness to reducing sanctions in the event of the revival of the 2015 nuclear agreement.[/size]
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