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Iraq The Prime Minister said on Monday that a small contingent of US military advisers would remain in the country for the time being to coordinate with US forces in the fight in neighboring Syria. Islamic State Group.
Washington And Baghdad agreed last year to disband the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq by this September, with US forces also withdrawing some of the bases where they are deployed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told reporters in Baghdad that US military advisers and aid personnel are now deployed to Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, a base adjacent to Baghdad airport, and al-Harir air base in northern Iraq.
Al-Sudani said the agreement originally stipulated a complete withdrawal of US forces from Ain al-Asad by September, but required maintaining a “small unit” of 250 to 350 advisers and security personnel at the base from then on for “developments in Syria”.
He said they would work with the al-Tanf base in Syria to support anti-IS surveillance and coordination. Other U.S. sites are seeing “gradual reductions” in personnel and operations, he said.
After the fall of the former Syrian president bashar asad An insurgent attack in December raised fears of IS reemerging by taking advantage of the upcoming security vacuum in Iraq and weapons left behind by the former Syrian army.
Al-Sudani said the extremist group, which captured wide swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria a decade ago, “no longer poses a significant threat inside Iraq.”
Iraq has tried to balance its relations with the United States and neighboring countries. iran And to avoid getting caught up in regional conflicts, the Prime Minister said he would continue a policy of
“We put Iraq first and we don’t want to serve as anyone’s representative,” he said. “Iraq will not become a battlefield for conflicts.”
At the same time, al-Sudani urged the US to return to dialogue with Iran, calling the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” approach to reducing Iran’s influence “counterproductive”.
“Iran is an important and influential country that should be treated respectfully and through direct dialogue,” he said.
There is tension between Baghdad and Washington over the presence of Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of militias formed to fight IS, was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi army in 2016, but in practice still operates with significant autonomy.
The Iraqi parliament is considering legislation that would strengthen ties between the military and the PMF, a move Washington has objected to.
Al-Sudani did not directly address the proposed law but said his government’s program “includes disarmament and national dialogue to remove any justification for carrying weapons.”
“We encourage all factions to either integrate into state institutions or engage in political life,” he said, which could include forming political parties and participating in elections.
Iraq is preparing for parliamentary elections next month that will determine whether al-Sudani gets a second term.
“Armed groups that have turned into political entities have a constitutional right to participate in those elections,” the Prime Minister said.