Washington, Baghdad to discuss future of foreign troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD
The United States and Iraq have said they will begin discussions on the future of American and other foreign troops in the country, with Baghdad expecting the talks to lead to a timeline for reducing their presence.
Washington has forces in Iraq as part of the international coalition against the ISIL, but the country's prime minister – whose government relies on the support of Iran-aligned parties – has called for the coalition to leave.
The talks – which have been planned for months – will come at a time of heightened tensions in Iraq and the region linked to the war between Israel and Hamas, which has sparked a surge in attacks on American and other coalition forces.
Washington and Baghdad agreed to form working groups that would eventually lead to formulating "a specific and clear timeline... and to begin the gradual reduction of its [the coalition's] advisers on Iraqi soil," Iraq's Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said the timeline would be contingent on evaluating the "threat posed by ISIL and its danger" as well as the "reinforcement of the capacities of the Iraqi security forces."
U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin confirmed meetings would start "in the coming days" and said the process will "enable the transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq."
"The coalition's mission to defeat [ISIL] will transition on a timeline that considers three key factors: the threat from [ISIL], operational and environmental requirements and the Iraqi security forces' capability levels," Austin said.
There are roughly 2,500 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of the anti-ISIL coalition formed in 2014 – the year the jihadist group overran around a third of Iraq.
