The first batch of departing U.S. soldiers left Afghanistan this week, beginning a drawdown of 10,000 American troops scheduled to leave by year's end.
About 650 U.S. soldiers left the northeastern province of Parwan on Wednesday, according to Lt. Commander Colette Murphy, a spokeswoman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Military officials say this is the first group of soldiers whose redeployment will not be replaced by a new rotation of fresh troops.
Another 600 troops are in the process of leaving, Murphy said. Both groups are from the Iowa National Guard.
The remainder of a 33,000 U.S. troop surge -- which began in 2009 -- are expected to return home by the end of 2012, President Barack Obama has said.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/15/afghanistan.drawdown/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
