Intel: US, Iraq to meet on American troop presence
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced today that the United States and Iraq will convene next month to hammer out several thorny issues, including the status of US troops who remain stationed in Iraq.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced today that the United States and Iraq will convene next month to hammer out several thorny issues, including the status of US troops who remain stationed in Iraq.
“As a force for good in the nation and as [Iraq’s] closest friend, the United States has proposed a strategic dialogue with the government of Iraq to be held in the middle of June,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. “With the global COVID-19 pandemic raging and plummeting oil revenues threatening an Iraqi economic collapse, it’s important that our two governments work together to stop any reversals of the gains we’ve made in our efforts to defeat [the Islamic State] and stabilize the country.”
Pompeo noted that Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale will lead the US delegation to discuss “the future presence of United States forces in that country."
Why it matters: The Iraqi parliament voted to kick out US forces in January following President Donald Trump’s assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. However, most Sunni and Kurdish parliamentarians boycotted the vote, which was nonbinding and took place under the auspices of a caretaker government.
