American soldiers numbers in Iraq fell below the 50,000 mark on Tuesday. "Today, in line with President (Barack) Obama's direction and as part of the responsible drawdown of forces, US military force levels in Iraq are below 50,000," the US military announced, according to AFP.
The top US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, conveyed some 49,700 of his troops are now stationed in the country. "It will stay at that level through next summer," he stated in the Iraqi capital.
The US army has withdrawn tens of thousands of troops in recent months, and the last American unit designated as a "combat brigade" left Iraq and crossed into Kuwait last week.
