Iraqi leaders refused to give them legal immunity.
Khalid Mohammed / AP
The White House announced that it will no longer be keeping U.S. troops in Iraq past a year-end withdrawal deadline, as previously planned. A senior official in the Obama administration confirmed that all American troops will return except for roughly 160 who are affiliated with the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. The U.S. military was planning on leaving up to 5,000 troops in the region to train security forces and thwart potential Iranian terror plots. However, the Pentagon was forced to reconsider after Iraqi political leaders refused to give legal immunity to U.S. troops.