US, Iraq to start talks on potential end to US-led coalition's presence

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US and Iraq will begin talks "in the coming days" on a potential end to the US-led anti-Daesh/ISIS coalition's presence in Iraq, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday.

Washington and Baghdad agreed last summer to the formation of the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC) and the defense chief said the looming commencement of the process "reflects the deep U.S. commitment to regional stability and Iraqi sovereignty."

"The HMC will enable the transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq, building on the successes of Iraq’s Defeat-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (D-ISIS) campaign in partnership with the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve as part of the Global Coalition to D-ISIS," Austin said in a statement.

The US and Iraq held a security meeting known as the US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue Aug. 7-8, and the meeting of the HMC will mark the next step in determining the future of the coalition's presence in Iraq amid a growing chorus from Baghdad for the withdrawal of American forces.

As part of the talks, a working group comprised of military and civilian personnel will be tasked with advising the HMC "on the most effective evolution of the D-ISIS Coalition mission, ensuring that ISIS can never resurge, in consultation with Coalition partners at all stages of the process," said Austin.

Roughly 2,500 American troops remain in Iraq on a train and assist mission for Iraqi forces following the December 2021 announcement of the end of major combat operations in the effort to defeat the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

But calls for their withdrawal have soared in Baghdad as hostilities between US forces and Iranian-backed proxies have dramatically grown in recent months amid Israel's ongoing war against the besieged Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, the US carried out strikes on Kataib Hezbollah targets in Iraq following a series of "escalatory attacks" on American forces, including missile attacks on the al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq. The White House said the strikes hit two of the militia's headquarters and an intelligence facility, destroying them.

The Iraqi parliament decried the US airstrikes and said in a declaration that "the continued US aggression is a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and disrespect of international agreements by Washington."

It called on the Iraqi government "to expedite the implementation of a parliamentary decision to completely withdraw foreign forces from Iraq as their presence threatens the security, stability, and the safety of the Iraqi people."