500 soldiers returning to Fort Riley after 15 months in Iraq

500 soldiers returning to Fort Riley after 15 months in Iraq
Kansas City Star
The Associated Press
April 8, 2008

After 15 months in Iraq, a batch of soldiers from Fort Riley are about to return home.

The soldiers were part of the 4th Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division that was sent to Iraq last year, when the U.S. beefed up its troop levels. The units were sent to Baghdad, where officials sought to keep civil unrest in check to allow the Iraqi government time to develop.

Fort Riley officials said Thursday that the first 500 soldiers will return to Kansas, with more expected to arrive over the next two weeks. In all, 3,400 soldiers from the brigade will return.

Gen. David Petraeus told members of Congress that troop levels will continue to decline by 20,000 through this summer, before taking a break. Petraeus is the top U.S. commander in Iraq.