American troops in Iraq. Photo:TWD

The United States will continue to “reduce forces” in Iraq

The World Daily | News Desk | JUNE 12th 2020

Representatives of the US and Iraq held a teleconference on, among other issues, the withdrawal of US soldiers from Iraq. In a joint statement they said that the United States would “continue to reduce” its military presence in the country.

On Thursday, representatives of the Iraqi government and the US Department of State held a teleconference as part of a “strategic dialogue” during which they discussed, inter alia, cooperation in the field of security and in the economic sphere. A joint statement from both sides stated that the United States would “continue to reduce” its military presence in Iraq.

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said that Iraq and the US have recognized the Iraqi Parliament's decision to withdraw US troops. In early January, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution that calls on the government to take action to end the presence of all foreign soldiers in the country.

As noted by Reuters, both countries pointed out that in light of the significant progress in eliminating the Islamic State's threat, the United States will “continue to reduce Iraq's forces in the coming months.” He adds that the timetable for the implementation of the agreement is unknown.

Representatives of both sides also discussed the provision of economic advisors to work directly with the Iraqi government to help increase international support for Iraq's reform efforts against a pandemic and falling oil prices.

© The World Daily 2020 | News Desk