Iraq no longer requires American combat troops to fight the Islamic State (IS) group, Iraqi Prime Minister (PM) Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in an interview with The Associated Press (AP) on Sunday. Kadhimi, who will meet United States (US) President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday, mentioned that he would seek a timeline for the withdrawal of the troops.
“There is no need for any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil,” Kadhimi told the news agency, without mentioning any particular date for the US troop withdrawal. He added that Iraqi security forces and army are capable of defending Iraq from the IS without direct military support of the US-led coalition forces and said that any withdrawal schedule would depend on the needs of Iraqi forces. “The war against the IS and the readiness of our forces require a special timetable, and this depends on the negotiations that we will conduct in Washington,” Kadhimi said, referring to his upcoming meeting with Biden. However, the PM noted that Iraq would still seek the US’ help in training its troops and military intelligence gathering. “What we want from the US presence in Iraq is to support our forces in training and to develop their efficiency and capabilities, and in security cooperation,” Kadhimi said.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced that Biden would meet Kadhimi in the White House on July 26 to improve bilateral cooperation under the US-Iraq Strategic Cooperation Framework. “President Biden looks forward to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Iraq on political, economic, and security issues, including joint efforts to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Psaki said.
In April, the US and Iraq agreed on the complete drawdown of American and coalition forces without providing a specific timeline. The AP stated that Iraq’s government has faced “significant pressure” from Shia political parties to declare a timeframe for the troop withdrawal. Therefore, Kadhimi’s comments could serve to “placate” Shia parties, who have not objected to trainers or advisers who may remain part of the coalition. The targeted killings of Iranian Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), by a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, angered Shia politicians. Shia politicians have been critical of Kadhimi’s government over the presence of coalition forces.
Moreover, in the past few months, US military installations in Iraq have increasingly come under attack from local militias aligned with Iran. In May, the Ain Al Asad military base in Iraq’s Anbar province, hosting the US forces, was targeted in a drone attack. Similarly, in April, five people, including two foreign contractors and three Iraqi soldiers, were wounded in a rocket attack on the US-made Balad airbase situated in Baghdad. The US has blamed Iran and its local Iraqi proxy militias for these attacks and has carried out several airstrikes against such groups.
Meanwhile, there has been an increase in IS-related attacks in the country. In the last few months, IS terrorists have increased the frequency of attacks on Iraqi forces and civilians, which has led to fears of a full-scale resurgence of the defeated group. Iraqi security forces, including Kurdish militias like the Peshmerga, still depend on coalition-led air support in its ongoing operations against ISIS cells spread throughout the country. The US is a part of the ‘Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, helping Iraq’s military fight the IS.
Iraqi PM Kadhimi Says US Combat Troops No Longer Required to Fight Islamic State
Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Iraq no longer requires American combat troops to fight ISIS, and will seek a timeline for their withdrawal.
July 26, 2021
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi SOURCE: KHALID MOHAMMED/ASSOCIATED PRESS