Five American Brigades In Iraq Back In U.S. By July, Department of Defense Says

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - About 20,000 American troops are coming home this summer as the Department of Defense announced Thursday that five brigade combat teams equal to the "2007 troop surge" will be redeployed to the U.S. by July, with five more brigades expected home before the New Year.

President Bush committed 20,000 additional soldiers to Iraq in a "troop surge" in 2007.

"All the evidence available to me now suggests that we will be able to complete the drawdown of the five brigade combat teams ... by the end of July," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

The first brigade has already left the country, but no specific timeline has been released for other redeployment, the American Forces Press Service reported.

Additional troop movements will be based on assessments by military commanders in March and ultimately by the president, Gates said, adding the drawdown can continue to include five more brigade combat teams to leave Iraq by the end of the year.

The departure of the first brigade begins the transition of the mission in Iraq to that of a "strategic overwatch" when U.S. soldiers will only train and equip Iraqi forces, Gates said.