09:30, 22 April 2009 | GMT +5
US troops will leave as scheduled, says Iraq minister
WASHINGTON. April 22. KAZINFORM. The top US commander in Iraq announced in March he was sending two combat brigades home from Iraq, marking the first major drawdown of US troops there since the ?surge? ended last year; Kazinform refers to Arab News.

The announcement came days after President Obama announced that the US combat mission in Iraq would end by September 2010. It, however, left open the question when they would begin to return.
According to Wijdan Salim, Iraq?s human rights minister, there is no ambiguity to that question. All US troops will leave Iraq as scheduled ? this includes withdrawing American forces from Iraq?s major cities by June 30.
Salim, speaking with a handful of journalists on Monday at the State Department?s Foreign Press Center, told Arab News that despite the recent upsurge in violence throughout her country, she expected ?the Americans to leave at the scheduled time?; Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.