ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi and American representatives met in Baghdad on Thursday for “technical consultations” about the “new phase” of security cooperation between their nations.
Both sides "expressed their ongoing commitment to laying the foundations for a new phase in U.S.-Iraq security cooperation that will continue to empower Federal Iraq to provide for its security and achieve tangible benefits for both Americans and Iraqis,” they said in a joint statement.
The talks are part of the Strategic Framework Agreement adopted in 2008 as a framework for US-Iraq relations that includes cooperation in areas such as defense, politics, energy, economy, law, culture, health and technology.
They agreed to continue their "consultations in the coming months aimed at long-term security and counterterrorism cooperation that strengthens and supports the capabilities and readiness of the Iraqi federal security forces, including the Peshmerga forces, and promotes the shared interests of safeguarding Iraq’s sovereignty, defeating terrorism, bolstering regional stability, and strengthening economic ties between our two nations,” the joint statement said.
On Tuesday, Iraqi armed forces were officially certified to carry out independent strikes after undergoing two months of intensive training under the US-led Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday.
“This achievement demonstrates the ISF’s [Iraqi Security Force] readiness to independently suppress ISIS [Islamic State] threats anywhere in Iraq,” said Brig. Gen. Steven T. Rivera, director of CJTF-OIR’s Military Advisory Group. “It is a clear example of our successful partnership with Iraq as we transition to a bilateral security partnership."
The US has around 2,500 soldiers in Iraq. Washington has agreed to withdraw its forces by 2026, as demanded by Baghdad under pressure from pro-Iran militia groups.
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