Washington, Apr 22: Senior US and Iraqi military officials have been in negotiations about keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal of all forces at year’s end.

US officials said that the discussions have faltered in recent weeks because of Iraqi worries that a continued US military presence could fuel sectarian tension and lead to protests similar to those sweeping other Arab countries.

There are 47,000 troops in Iraq; they are assigned to training roles, not combat.

At the height of the Iraq surge in October 2007 there were about 170,000 troops in the country.

If an agreement to keep 10,000 troops is reached, they would be tasked with helping Iraq maintain air sovereignty, providing medical evacuation assistance and training, and gathering intelligence on insurgents and Iranian agents, the New York Times reports.

The extension could also let the US keep advisers with Iraqi brigades. (ANI)