Iraq reportedly requests fresh talks with US on troop withdrawal

23-03-2021
Sura Ali
Sura Ali
A+ A-

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Washington recently received a formal request from the Iraqi government to resume talks regarding the withdrawal of remaining US troops in Iraq,  the Associated Press (AP) reported on Tuesday.

Three government officials said Iraq sent a formal request to the US, reportedly via US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller, requesting a new round of talks on bilateral issues, specifically on the withdrawal of the some 2,500 troops left in the country.

No date has been set but Iraq hopes to hold the talks in April, AP added.

This round of talks will be the first of its kind during the administration of the current US President Joe Biden. Dialogue began under the administration of former President Donald Trump last June.
 
The United States has reduced the number of its troops in Iraq to 2,500, according to a statement released by the Department of Defense in January, having withdrawn from several coalition bases across the country.
 
US forces have come under repeated attack since Washington's assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a January 2020 airstrike, also killing Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the Iraqi deputy of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi). 
  
Militias close to Tehran often carry out attacks on US and international sites in Iraq, including the US embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi military bases hosting coalition troops.
 
Iraq's parliament passed a non-binding resolution in favour of expelling foreign troops after the US assassinations.

Despite Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's attempts to improve Iraq's foreign relations, particularly with the US, some Shiite parties take a flagrantly hostile stance to this rapprochement and insist on expelling US forces from Iraq.

 

Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required
 

The Latest

Arshad al-Salihi in an interview with Rudaw on October 7, 2024. Photo: Rudaw/Screengrab

Turkmen MP concerned over Iraqi census, opposition to land restitution bill

A Turkmen MP has voiced concerns over the ongoing Iraqi census, citing the lack of clarity regarding its outcomes and the absence of an agreement. The lawmaker also criticized MPs for opposing a bill that would return land confiscated from Kurdish and Turkmen communities to its rightful owners.