The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is the largest in the world, but America’s presence in Iraq has been shrinking. Some questions and answers about America’s role in Iraq, where the U.S. military fought an eight-year war that ousted President Saddam Hussein and cost hundreds of billions of dollars and more than 4,400 U.S. lives:
Q. How many U.S. troops are in Iraq?
A. There have not been any American combat forces in Iraq since the U.S. military mission ended in December 2011. There are a little over 100 U.S. military personnel in a section of the U.S. Embassy that coordinates U.S. foreign military sales to Iraq. More than 100 U.S. Marines provide security at the embassy.
Q. Do U.S. troops still train Iraqi forces in the field?
A. No. The Obama administration had proposed providing troops for that purpose before the U.S. departure in 2011, but Baghdad rejected Washington’s insistence that its troops be granted immunity for prosecution while in the country. So what remained after 2011 was the small group that is coordinating security assistance.
Q. How big is the U.S. Embassy?
A. There are roughly 5,000 U.S. personnel in the embassy, making it the largest U.S. diplomatic post in the world. .
Q. Are there U.S. military contractors in Iraq?
A. No. As of Dec. 15, 2013, all American contractors helping familiarize and train Iraqis with weapons and other military equipment purchased from the U.S. are working under Iraqi government contract.
Q. How much aid has the U.S. provided to Iraq over the years?
A. According to the bipartisan Congressional Research Service, the U.S. has provided about $56 billion in assistance since the U.S. invasion in 2003. That consists mainly of $21 billion in “relief and reconstruction” funds and $20 billion for the equipping and training of Iraqi security forces. That is separate from the cost of fighting the war. Also, on Friday the State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. is sending about $12 million in humanitarian aid to help nearly a million Iraqis who have been forced from their homes by recent fighting.
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