Top Iraqi and U.S. officials plan to issue a statement calling for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by year-end, both nations’ officials said, but would reaffirm the need for a U.S. military presence to help Iraqi forces in their fight against Islamic State,
The Wall Street Journal reports.
“We don’t need any more fighters because we have those,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told The Wall Street Journal. “What do we need? We need cooperation in the field of intelligence. We need help with training. We need troops to help us in the air.”
The statement is to be issued in connection with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s visit to Washington on Monday, when he will meet with President Biden.
The purpose of the statement, current and former officials said, is to enable the Iraqi leader to blunt the political pressure from hard-line Shiite factions who want all of the approximately 2,500 American troops in the country to depart, while maintaining U.S. support for Iraqi security forces.
One U.S. official said that Washington plans to meet the terms of the statement mainly by redefining the role of some of the U.S. forces in the country instead of reducing the U.S. presence.
“In fact, this is not an adjustment of the number, but rather a clarification of what tasks the forces will perform in accordance with our strategic priorities,” the source said. Experts interviewed by the journalists of the publication believe that for the majority of the American military in the country, “everyday duties will change little.”
The statement is expected to coincide with the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, on July 26 to the United States. White House spokesman Jen Psaki on Thursday, answering a question about the prospects for the withdrawal of forces from Iraq, said that Washington continues consultations with Baghdad on the presence of the American contingent in that country. Psaki explained that more information will appear after al-Kadhimi’s visit.
The publication provides a commentary by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. “We don't need more fighters, since we have them,” he said. “What we need? We need intelligence cooperation. We need help training [the military]. We need air support force.”