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[b](BAGHDAD) -- The U.S. military exit from Iraq is proceeding as planned.
By the end of December, the Pentagon is expected to withdraw the last of its 40,000 remaining troops from the country, leaving behind just 160 soldiers to protect the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the largest diplomatic mission in the world.
The exodus from American military bases is going faster than most expected, with just 20 posts left to vacate. 
During the height of the eight-year-long war, the military had just over 500 bases in Iraq when U.S. forces topped out at 170,000.
An Iraqi government spokesman said that the U.S. has handed over 485 bases and military sites to their army's command.
In other developments, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been purging his military of anyone who might have worked in the former regime of the late dictator, Saddam Hussein. This action has been criticized by Sunni leaders who argue that al-Maliki's real intent is fragmenting the country.
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
By the end of December, the Pentagon is expected to withdraw the last of its 40,000 remaining troops from the country, leaving behind just 160 soldiers to protect the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the largest diplomatic mission in the world.
The exodus from American military bases is going faster than most expected, with just 20 posts left to vacate. During the height of the eight-year-long war, the military had just over 500 bases in Iraq when U.S. forces topped out at 170,000.
An Iraqi government spokesman said that the U.S. has handed over 485 bases and military sites to their army's command.
In other developments, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been purging his military of anyone who might have worked in the former regime of the late dictator, Saddam Hussein. This action has been criticized by Sunni leaders who argue that al-Maliki's real intent is fragmenting the country.
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
