A GI walks in front of equipment that is waiting to be shipped back to the US from Iraq (AP)

The United States has scrapped plans to leave as many as 5,000 troops in Iraq, and will stick to its year-end deadline to remove all combat and support troops. According to the AP, all but approximately 160 soldiers that are attached to the US Embassy will be removed. A senior military official told the news outlet that the withdrawal would allow for limited combat-training missions if requested by the Iraqi government.

Military officials are attempting to keep plans regarding the withdrawal secret, as their details may provoke attacks from insurgents. The Iraqi government voted to terminate the immunity that American soldiers currently possess at the end of the year, discouraging the Pentagon from keeping a sizable training force in the county.