WASHINGTON - The U.S. military says it will soon withdraw 3,500 soldiers deployed to Iraq as part of the so-called “surge” in U.S. troops last year.

A statement Tuesday says the soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division will be moved out of Iraq in the next few weeks.

The head of the U.S.-led Multi-National force in Iraq, Brigadier-General Dan Allyn, says the regular withdrawal of surge brigades from Iraq demonstrates continued progress in the country.

The re-deployment of the 3,500 troops is in line with a U.S. plan to complete a withdrawal of at least 20,000 surge troops by the end of July.

Last month, President Bush ordered an indefinite suspension of U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq after July, and he imposed a 45-day freeze on withdrawals of the remaining 140,000 American troops in Iraq.

Source:  VOA News