LAST US COMBAT BRIGADE EXITS IRAQ

Baku, August 19 (AZERTAC). The last US combat brigade in Iraq has left the country.

The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, began crossing by land into Kuwait in the early hours of Thursday, a military spokesman said.

Some 50,000 US troops will remain until the end of 2011 to advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests.

A further 6,000 support troops will be in Iraq until the end of the month, when US combat operations will end.

Stryker Brigade`s personnel drove out of Iraq in a convoy of armoured vehicles.

The journey along potentially hostile desert roads had been carefully planned for weeks.

"The last one crossed [into Kuwait] at around 0600 (0300 GMT) this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloom said.

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