US and Iraq begin troop withdrawal negotiations

The talks began amid regular drone attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed forces.

Representatives of the United States and Iraq began negotiations on the withdrawal of American troops. The Voice of America reported this on Sunday, January 28.

“The United States and Iraq held the first round of formal talks in Baghdad on Saturday aimed at winding down the mission of the US-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State terrorist group,” the report said.

It is indicated that the start of negotiations took place against the backdrop of regular drone attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed forces.

The White House has maintained a presence in Iraq since 2003. The US military left the country in 2011, but returned again in 2014 to help Baghdad defeat the so-called Islamic State.

As the Islamists lost control of the captured territories, Iraq periodically called on the United States to withdraw coalition forces, especially after the January 2020 White House airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Suleiman. In particular, the issue of troop withdrawal was raised again after the start of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“American officials said that the negotiations on the creation of a committee that will determine the framework for the end of the coalition mission continued before October 7 and that this decision is not related to the situation in the Gaza Strip,” it was written of the newspaper.

There are about 2,500 US troops in Iraq, serving as advisers and providing assistance there since December 2021, when the US military announced it was ending its military mission in the country.

In early December, the US Embassy in Baghdad was attacked by rockets, but no one was killed. On January 20, the air base in Iraq where the US military is located came under a missile attack. Several American military personnel were injured.