US planning faster troop withdrawal from Europe, newspaper says


May 30 (Reuters) - The ⁠U.S. plans to accelerate the withdrawal ⁠of troops from bases in Europe and ‌will present its proposals to NATO allies next month, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday, ​citing an unidentified Pentagon source.

Washington ⁠announced plans in ⁠May to pull 5,000 troops out of Germany, ⁠widely ‌seen as the consequence of a rift over the Iran war ⁠between President Donald Trump and European powers. ​Germany is ‌home to some 35,000 active-duty U.S. military ⁠personnel, ​more than anywhere else in Europe.

At the time, the Pentagon said the withdrawal was expected ⁠to be completed over six ​to 12 months.

Welt am Sonntag did not provide details on how much faster the withdrawal would ⁠be, or which locations might be affected. The U.S. is due to present its plans to allies at next month's North ​Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Force ⁠Sourcing Conference, it said.

The Pentagon did not immediately ​respond to a request ‌for comment.

(Reporting by Joern Poltz ​and Francois Murphy. Additional reporting by David Shepardson. Editing by Mark Potter)

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