The plan calls for the withdrawal of hundreds of US troops in the first year (the deadline is September next year), and the remaining forces will be withdrawn by the end of 2026.
The United States and Iraq have reached preliminary agreements on the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq. This should happen at some stage. This was reported by Reuters citing sources.
It was noted that the plan provides for the withdrawal of hundreds of US military personnel in the first year (the deadline is September next year), and the remaining forces will be withdrawn by the end of 2026. At the same time, the plan still requires final approval from both capitals, and the question of the announcement date remains open.
“We have an agreement, now the only question is when to announce it,” Reuters quoted a senior US official as saying.
A deal is likely to be announced this month. The official announcement was originally scheduled for several weeks ago, but was delayed due to regional escalation related to Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip and, according to Western media sources, to clarify some details.
In addition, as the publication writes, the United States and Iraq also seek to establish a new consultative relationship, thanks to which some American troops can remain in Iraq after the withdrawal.
“The sources included five US officials, two officials from other coalition countries and three Iraqi officials, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly,” the publication said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Farhad Alaaldin’s Foreign Affairs Adviser said that technical negotiations in Washington on reducing the coalition have ended. However, he did not reveal the details of the plan.
As it is known, the United States has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of a coalition formed in 2014 as part of the fight against the terrorist organization Islamic State, which attacked these two countries in the Middle Eastern. The US previously invaded Iraq in 2003, ousting dictator Saddam Hussein, and stopped in 2011. Because of ISIS, US-led coalition forces returned to Iraq after three years.
Let’s remember that in January the United States and Iraq began negotiations on the withdrawal of troops.
It was also reported that the United States launched a strike on Iraq on July 30 in self-defense amid rising tensions in the region following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.