Republican leadership at the RNC Convention this week talked a big game when it comes to "bringing the troops home" – something Trump has been promising since 2016 – but which has not yet ultimately been realized.

But can he deliver now as part of a pre-election promise? It looks like the wheels are finally in motion.

Multiple reports citing Pentagon officials on Friday say up to one-third of all American soldiers will permanently return from Iraq over the next two to three months.

This would bring numbers down from 5,200 to about 3,500 according to Pentagon officials. Trump is in the meantime expected to tout an Iraq withdrawal as a success in ending the wasteful wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course, we've been here before. Prior major drawdowns were stymied after ratcheting events over the past year involving Iran. Despite the official US mission still listed as "anti-ISIS operations" it's been pro-Iranian Iraqi militias which have kept US occupying forces busy and on edge.