MONROVIA, February 6 (LINA) – President Barack Obama will end the U.S. military mission to Liberia to fight Ebola in March, as infection rates fall to near zero, media reports have said.
The number of troops deployed to Liberia, which reached nearly 3,000 in December, will fall to 1,300 soon and decline through March as soldiers head home, the reports quoted a U.S. official.
The official declined to be identified because the government is not ready to disclose its plans to the public, the USA Today reported Thursday.
It quotes the official as saying that the returning troops would be replaced by a force of about 100 for at least the near term.
"They are drawing down gradually with a visible timeline," the paper reported Defense Minister Brownie Samukai as saying.
Neither White House officials nor Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commanding troops in Liberia, would comment on any future plans.
The U.S. troops have been in Liberia for five months on a mission said to be worth more than $900 million.
LINA