ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi claimed that his upcoming visit to Washington will put an end to the presence of US combat troops in Iraq in an interview on Sunday, but stressed the need for continued training, air force, and intelligence support. “We are visiting Washington to set out our relationship with America. The Iraqi army still needs their forces for training. We need their support to our air force, and we need their intelligence support in the fight against ISIS (Islamic State),” Kadhimi said in an interview with the Saudi owned al-Hadath TV on Sunday. “The visit will be to set out this relationship, and to put an end to the presence of combat forces, because the Iraqi army can now fight for itself on behalf of Iraqis and the world against these terrorist groups in Iraq,” Kadhimi added. “There is no need for combat troops.” The Iraqi PM is set to visit Washington on July 26 and meet with US President Joe Biden. Kadhimi’s visit “will highlight the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq and advance bilateral cooperation under the Strategic Framework Agreement,” reads a White House statement released on Friday. The Strategic Framework Agreement guides US-Iraqi relations in all fields, including security. In their latest round of strategic dialogue in April, the US agreed to remove all combat troops out of Iraq, but is yet to set a timeline. There are currently 2,500 American soldiers in Iraq, part of the fight against the Islamic State group (ISIS). On Thursday, US envoy Brett McGurk was in Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi leaders, including Kadhimi, laying the groundwork for the prime minister’s trip to Washington. They discussed the mechanism for withdrawing combat troops. In regards to US-Iran tensions and its effects on Iraq, Kadhimi said “Iraq hopes to not be a ground for American-Iranian tensions, and for that we are working on everything with both sides.” “We are working on helping reach a dialogue to sort out all differences between both states,” he added. Kadhimi said that they have asserted Iraq’s sovereignty during talks with Iran, adding that “the Iranians are working seriously in helping us build stability in Iraq.” He also said that he will visit Tehran when the new government is inaugurated. Kadhimi’s statements on Iran come as Iraqi militias backed by Iran have repeatedly attacked US interests and positions in the country to force their withdrawal. They have carried out at least four attacks this month, including firing 14 rockets at Ain al-Asad airbase and targeting Erbil’s airport with an explosive-laden drone. They stepped up their attacks after the US assassinated deputy militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in January 2020, after which the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding resolution demanding American forces withdraw from the country.
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