The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting US officials, that Washington had decided to withdraw eight Patriot missile defense systems from countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq.
The newspaper quoted US officials as saying: In an effort to reorganize its military presence in the region to focus its armed forces on the challenges of China and Russia, Biden’s government has decided to withdraw these missile defense systems from the Middle East.
The officials added: The Pentagon will remove about eight Patriot systems from countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as a Tod missile system, and the designated combat squadrons for the region will be reduced.
The officials said: The decision involves the withdrawal of hundreds of troops from units that use or support these systems.
The move comes as the US military plans to withdraw completely from Afghanistan in the summer. The United States also reduced its troop numbers in Iraq to 2,500 last falls, saying Iraqi forces could provide security for their country.
An unnamed U.S. military official said the unannounced drop in the number of troops began earlier this month.
Earlier, during a June 2 phone call, Lloyd Austin informed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the changes and said that most of the military equipment coming out was from Saudi Arabia.
The United States transferred Patriot systems to Iraq after rocket attacks on the Ain al-Assad base in January last year.