Tag: IRAQ

Last summer, the US and Iraq agreed to form a higher military commission, according to the Pentagon, as a vehicle for the talks….reports Asian Lite News

The US and Iraq are expected to soon begin talks on the American military presence in the country following calls from the Iraq government for the US to withdraw its troops, as reported by CNN, citing sources.

Last summer, the US and Iraq agreed to form a higher military commission, according to the Pentagon, as a vehicle for the talks.

The discussions between both countries will focus on the next phase of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, with the terror group now reduced to a shadow of its former self.

According to officials, US military officials and diplomats will be involved in the discussions.

The talks about the future of the US military presence in Iraq have sparked a greater urgency as regional instability rises, according to CNN.

Calls by the Iraq government for the US have come in response to the US launching airstrikes inside Iraq targeting Iran-backed militants who have been attacking US personnel there.

Reportedly, the US has roughly 2,500 troops currently in Iraq who have been operating there in an advise and assist capacity since December 2021, when the US military announced the end of its combat role in the country.

Moreover, some of the discussions will focus on whether and when it will be feasible to end the US military presence in Iraq, CNN reported.

The US officials said that they would prefer a schedule that would be based on conditions in Iraq, including the ongoing defeat of ISIS and the stability of the government and the Iraqi security forces.

However, some elements within the Iraq government prefer a schedule based on a timeline, setting the date for the American withdrawal regardless of the stability of the security situation within the country.

Recently, on January 10, the office of Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia-al-Sudani said that they would soon begin the process “to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently.”

“The US and Iraq are close to agreement on starting the Higher Military Commission dialogue that was announced back in August,” a US official said.

“The HMC will be an opportunity to jointly evaluate the conditions required for the future of the D-ISIS fight in Iraq and shape the nature of the bilateral security relationship. We have been discussing this for months. The timing is not related to the recent attacks. The US will maintain its full right to self-defense during the talks, the official added.

Jonathan Lord, the director of the Middle East security programme at the Centre for New American Security, said that the US needs to transition its support for Iraq towards building “a lasting and sustainable military capacity in the (Iraq Security Forces), to avoid another 2014. That hasn’t happened.”

“If we leave now with no plan in place, we’re sending the patient back out on the street with no plan to stay healthy,” he added, comparing the initial anti-ISIS intervention to an emergency room hospital stay. “Chances are, if things go bad, they’ll end up right back there. And it’s the most expensive, least efficient way to help them.”

On Tuesday, following the latest round of US strikes in Iraq, a spokesperson for the prime minister said in a statement that the strikes are “undermining agreements and various sectors of joint security cooperation” as the two countries are working to “reshape the future relationship.”

Last year, the US and Iraq agreed to initiate talks on the future of the US military presence before the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, which sparked wider regional tensions and encouraged the Iran-backed groups, particularly Kataib Hezbollah, in Iraq and across the Middle East.

Moreover, the Pentagon emphasised that the Iraq government has not formally asked the US military to withdraw, stressing that the troops are still there at the invitation of the Iraq government, as reported by CNN, adding that there is no deadline for a conclusion to the higher military commission discussions or their ultimate outcome.

Jon Alterman, the director of the Middle East Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the politics of the US military presence in Iraq have been “treacherous” for over a decade, but it’s not a binary choice of staying or leaving. Nor is this a process that needs to move quickly.

“This is a choice of where you want to be on a spectrum,” said Alterman. “Diplomats can manipulate both the timing and the direction of the talks and arrive at a wide variety of potential outcomes.”

Alterman further said that, rumblings of a potential US change in its force posture in Iraq would be a victory for Iran. “Any sign that this is the beginning of the end would be widely celebrated in Iranian corridors,” he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iraq’s foreign minister hinted at the upcoming discussions, and highlighted that he met with the US Ambassador to Baghdad, Elena Romanowski, and “received from her an important message from the American government to the Iraqi government, which will be studied by the Prime Minister and the relevant concerned authorities. Next steps will be taken regarding it soon.”

The US also has a presence in Syria to fight ISIS, but administration officials said that a withdrawal from that country is not under consideration, according to CNN.

“The Biden administration is not considering a withdrawal of forces from Syria,” a senior US official said. (ANI)

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The strikes targeted three facilities used by Iranian-backed ‘Kataib Hezbollah’ and other Tehran-affiliated groups in Iraq….reports Asian Lite News

The United States has carried out airstrikes in Iraq targeting facilities used by “Iranian-backed militias” in the country following repeated attacks on US forces, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Tuesday (local time).

The strikes targeted three facilities used by Iranian-backed ‘Kataib Hezbollah’ and other Tehran-affiliated groups in Iraq.

Austin said that the strikes “are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria” by Iranian-backed militia groups. US Central Command also released a statement on Tuesday saying US forces “conducted unilateral airstrikes” targeting “KH headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities,” CNN reported.

According to a US defence official, the strikes were carried out at two sites in western Iraq, including Al-Qa’im near the Syrian border and Jurf al-Sakhar south of Baghdad.

“I am grateful for both the skill and professionalism with which our personnel planned and conducted these strikes and the continued efforts of our troops on the ground as they work with regional partners to further dismantle and degrade ISIS,” Austin stated.

“The President and I will not hesitate to take the necessary action to defend them and our interests. We do not seek to escalate conflict in the region. We are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities. We call on these groups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks,” he added.

The strikes come just days after US personnel at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq were injured in a ballistic missile and rocket attack on the base. While most missiles and rockets were intercepted by the base’s air defences, some projectiles made an impact, CNN reported, citing US Central Command.

As per the initial assessment, Kataib Hezbollah was responsible for the ballistic missile attack, the defence official said.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that a total of four US troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack, and all had since returned to duty.

The strikes on Tuesday are the first in Iraq since the beginning of the month, when the US targeted a member of an Iranian proxy group operating in the country who one US official said had “US blood on his hands.”

They also come after multiple strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen over the last week and a half, as the US looks to rein in the aggressive actions of Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East amid heightened tensions in the region.

According to CNN, the US forces in Iraq and Syria have come under attack at least 151 times since attacks began on October 17, according to a US official — 10 days after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Although, the officials have not directly connected the two situations, the ongoing attacks on US forces have fed into heightened tensions and concerns about broader conflict breaking out in the region, particularly when coupled with the regular attacks on commercial shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

“We’ve continued to see attacks on our forces since October 17 in Iraq and Syria. The attack that we saw over the weekend was just a larger scale attack,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday. “But again, we don’t seek conflict, we don’t want to see this widen out to a regional war, we don’t want … to continue to see our forces being put at risk.”

The US has carried out a number of strikes in Iraq and Syria in response to the attacks on coalition forces, placing blame squarely on Iran for supporting the militia groups carrying out the attacks, CNN reported.

Last October, following US airstrikes on facilities linked to Iranian-backed militias, a senior defence official said Tehran was “the centre of gravity” for the attacks and that “Iranian fingerprints are all over this.”

“Tehran and Iranian senior leaders are funding, arming, equipping, training and directing a whole plethora of militia groups across the region, and they have escalated attacks against US forces since October 17, which is why we took self-defense action,” the official said.

While the attacks in Iraq and Syria have been ongoing, the US has also been managing regular attacks by the Houthis in Yemen on commercial shipping.

The strikes on Tuesday followed strikes on the Houthis on Monday, carried out by the US and UK, which a senior official said were successful in striking weapons storage sites, drone systems, and missiles.

It was the eighth round of strikes on the Houthis by the US military in roughly 10 days, as reported by CNN. (ANI)

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The Netherlands is part of the US-led international coalition tasked with training and advising the Iraqi security forces in their fight against the IS….reports Asian Lite News

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has said that any attack on Iraqi soil violates its sovereignty, stressing the country’s determination to end the presence of the US-led coalition.

Al-Sudani made the remarks during his meeting with the Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren, whose country is scheduled to assume the presidency of the NATO mission in Iraq in mid-May, according to a statement issued by al-Sudani’s media office on Monday.

The Prime Minister stressed his rejection of any attack on Iraqi territory or any violation of its sovereignty, reiterating “the government’s commitment to protecting diplomatic missions and advisors working in Iraq, as well as assisting the NATO mission in carrying out its tasks agreed upon with the Iraqi government,” the statement said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

Meanwhile, al-Sudani affirmed “the Iraqi government’s decision to rearrange the relationship with the international coalition” and move from the presence of foreign forces in Iraq to bilateral relations and cooperation with the coalition countries, according to the statement.

For her part, Ollongren confirmed that the Dutch government agrees with al-Sudani’s vision that victory over the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) requires changing the mission of the international coalition and moving it to equal bilateral relations after the development of the Iraqi security forces’ capabilities, according to the statement.

She also confirmed that the Netherlands will assume the leadership of the NATO mission in Iraq in the middle of this year and “will work with the Iraqi government to achieve its new vision”.

The Netherlands is part of the US-led international coalition tasked with training and advising the Iraqi security forces in their fight against the IS.

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