"We'll keep troops there as long as we think they're needed ... The main reason, after ISIS (Islamic State) is defeated militarily, is the stabilization efforts and we still need to be there for that, so that's one of the reasons we'll maintain a presence," Colonel Sean Ryan told a news conference in Abu Dhabi. The number of American soldiers could go down however, depending on when other forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation deploy to help train the Iraqi army, he said, adding that about 5,200 U.S. troops are currently based in Iraq. NATO defence ministers agreed in February to a bigger "train-and-advise" mission in Iraq after a U.S. call for the alliance to help stabilise the country after three years of war against Islamic State.
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