The United States is abandoning plans to keep occupation troops in Iraq past a year-end withdrawal deadline.
A senior administration official in Washington confirmed Saturday that all American troops will leave except for about 160 soldiers attached to the U.S. Embassy. Although the Pentagon had considered leaving up to 5,000 troops in the country to train local security forces and hinder Iranian influence, a senior military official said the withdrawal could allow limited U.S. military training missions in the future.