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Pentagon shifts equipment from Iraq to Syria

The Pentagon is removing mine rollers and armored carriers from Iraq as it draws down its presence in the country.
A U.S. soldier runs at a coalition forces forward base near West Mosul, Iraq June 21, 2017, where Iraqi security forces are fighting Islamic State.     REUTERS/Marius Bosch - RC1F464C5CA0

The Pentagon is reversing a decision to send mine-clearing equipment and armored carriers to Iraq, saying they are no longer needed for the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

In a June 22 letter to Congress seen by Al-Monitor, Deputy US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan writes that more than two dozen armored carriers and equipment to clear mined roads are “no longer required to support the Iraqi Security Forces.” Instead, they will be converted to Pentagon stocks to be used in Syria.

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