“The United States is staying in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region. We are on this journey with you for the long haul,” Robert Palladino said in a press conference on Monday, adding that the situation in Iraq is different from Afghanistan.
“What will happen at the end of this year is an end to any combat role for United States' forces, and that is the only thing that is ending,” Palladino said. “It is in the best interest of the United States and Iraq to continue our strategic partnership.”
Late last month, following a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and US President Joe Biden in Washington, they announced a shift in mission for the US in Iraq: “the security relationship will fully transition to a training, advising, assisting, and intelligence-sharing role, and that there will be no U.S. forces with a combat role in Iraq by December 31, 2021.”
There are currently 3,500 foreign soldiers in Iraq, 2,500 of them Americans, as part of the global coalition against Islamic State (ISIS).
The consul general added that his country remains committed to defeating ISIS.
A top military spokesperson on Saturday told Rudaw that what Iraq currently needs is training and intelligence information, rather than combat troops.
“Today we do not need any foreign soldier who carries weapons on the ground and fights with us. What we need from any country in the world, whether America or others, is training, arming and equipment, as well as exchanging intelligence information in order to complete building the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces,” said Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for the Iraqi prime minister.
Rasool also said that Iraq will not see the instability that Afghanistan is experiencing following an American withdrawal.
Shingal region ‘a victim’
Speaking about Shingal, the American envoy said the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Iraqi militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are keeping the Yazidi homeland “volatile and unstable.”
“The PKK which is present in the area and cooperates with the PMF makes the situation even more volatile and unstable,” said Palladino.
The PKK and PMF both established footholds in Shingal when they took part in the war to oust ISIS from the region. However, the presence of multiple armed groups and lack of reconstruction have prevented the return of the majority of the civilian population that fled ISIS in 2014.
Last year, Baghdad and Erbil announced a historic agreement for the region, which lies within disputed areas claimed by both governments. The deal put the Iraqi government in charge of securing Shingal by removing the militias and establishing a new force that draws on the local population. It has yet to be implemented.
“Unfortunately, the Iran aligned militia in Sinjar [Shingal] has refused to abide by the instructions of the Iraqi government, and this element continues to defy Iraqi authority,” said Palladino. “We urge both the PKK and the PMF to withdraw fully from Sinjar so that the Sinjar agreement can be implemented.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Iraq over the weekend, also expressed concern about the Shingal region, armed groups operating there, and Turkish airstrikes against PKK-affiliated forces.
“Sinjar remains a real victim of destabilization and ongoing conflicts, and in a situation of insecurity because the region is a victim both of terrorist activity conducted by certain groups and bombardments carried out by the Turkish army,” Macron said on Saturday.
He said France will remain engaged in Shingal, in particular with the construction of a hospital and support for displaced populations.
