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AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq — American troops have started to draw down from Iraq following Baghdad’s declaration of victory over ISIL last year, according to Western contractors at a U.S.-led coalition base in Iraq.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi government spokesman on Monday confirmed to The Associated Press that the drawdown has begun, though he stressed it was still in its early stages and doesn’t mark the beginning of a complete pullout of U.S. forces.

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Dozens of American soldiers have been transported from Iraq to Afghanistan on daily flights over the past week, along with weapons and equipment, the contractors said.

An AP reporter at the Al-Asad base in western Iraq saw troop movements reflecting the contractors’ account. The contractors spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations and declined to reveal the exact size of the drawdown.

“Continued coalition presence in Iraq will be conditions-based, proportional to the need and in co-ordination with the government of Iraq,” coalition spokesman Army Col. Ryan Dillon told the AP when asked for comment.