US troops in Iraq fall below Obama's 50,000 mark

BAGHDAD - US troop numbers in Iraq fell below the 50,000 mark on Tuesday, a week ahead of a declaration of an end to combat operations, a key milestone seven years on from the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

The news comes as a spike in unrest over the past two months has triggered concern that Iraqi forces are not yet ready to handle security on their own, and with no new government formed in Baghdad since a March 7 general election.

"Today, in line with President (Barack) Obama's direction and as part of the responsible drawdown of forces, US military force levels in Iraq are below 50,000," the US military announced.

The top US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, said around 49,700 of his soldiers are now stationed in the country. "It will stay at that level through next summer," he told reporters at a briefing in Baghdad.

Shortly after coming into office in 2009, Obama pledged to end combat operations in Iraq by the end of this August, bringing "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to an end, at which point troop figures would drop below 50,000.