Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters Monday that the U.S. would not be withdrawing troops from Iraq, despite a letter that surfaced earlier in the day suggesting otherwise. The confusion over withdrawing troops comes as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise in the days following the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani who was killed in a U.S.-led airstrike on Thursday. This was a mistake," Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. Milley called the letter “poorly worded” and said it “implies withdrawal. Milley also added that the U.S. military will be "bringing people in from Kuwait,” to add to the nearly 5,000 U.S. troops already on the ground.

Source: Fox News January 06, 2020 22:41 UTC