Washington D.C. [US], July 23: Iraq's position is being discussed with US officials in Washington DC this week at a security conference and there is no formal agreement on ending the alliance or a timetable, Reuters reported today, July 23, citing several Iraqi and US officials.
US State Department spokesman Mathew Miller told a news briefing that the two sides would meet in Washington DC this week to determine how to shift the mission of the US-led coalition based on the threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), adding that he had no further details.
US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling former leader Saddam Hussein and then withdrawing in 2011, only to return in 2014 to fight IS as the lead coalition.
The US currently has about 2,500 troops in Iraq, leading a coalition of more than 80 members formed in 2014 to push back IS as it rampaged across Iraq and Syria.
US troops are stationed at three main bases in Iraq, one in the capital Baghdad, one in the western province of Anbar and one in the northern Kurdistan region.
It is unclear how many troops would leave under a deal. Reuters cited Iraqi sources as saying most were expected to leave, but US officials said many would remain under a newly negotiated advise-and-assist mission.
US officials want a military presence in Iraq on a bilateral basis, in part to support its presence in Syria. The US currently has about 900 troops in Syria.
IS was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019 but still carries out attacks in both countries and is on track to double its attacks in Syria this year compared to 2023, according to the US military.
While the coalition's mission is to advise and assist Iraqi forces in the fight against IS, Western officials say the US and its allies also see their presence in Iraq as a check on Iranian influence.
Washington and Baghdad began talks on the future of the US-led military alliance in January, amid tit-for-tat attacks between Iran - backed Islamist militias and US forces.
A deal to let the coalition withdraw could be a political victory for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is under pressure from Iran-aligned factions to push back the U.S. forces but has sought to do so in a way that balances Iraq's status as an ally of both Washington and Tehran, according to Reuters.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper