THE NATIONAL NEWS
The US and Iraq will resume talks aimed at ending the presence of American forces in Iraq, the US-led anti-ISIS coalition announced on Thursday.
Last month, Washington and Baghdad announced the start of formal talks aimed at ending the presence of the anti-ISIS military coalition in Iraq. They have met once since.
The next round of talks comes as two US recent strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, including one late on Wednesday, have further angered the Iraqi government.
Baghdad was already complaining about the continued US presence in Iraq a decade after the Pentagon sent thousands of troops there to help the crumbling national security forces fight ISIS.
“We look forward to continuing military-to-military with our partners on Sunday afternoon as we assess our progress in our shared mission to defeat ISIS as well as discuss the future transition of our mission,” Operation Inherent Resolve’s commander Maj Gen Joel “JB” Vowell said in a statement.
Iran-backed Shiite militias and political factions have been pushing the government to start talks with the US over ending the mission of the coalition and replacing it with bilateral security agreements.
The announcement of the resumption of talks came after the Wednesday drone strike in Baghdad that killed two high-ranking militia leaders.
One of those killed was believed to have managed the group’s missile capabilities in Iraq and Syria.
