Two U.S. administration officials said Friday that a long-expected agreement on reducing U.S. troops in Iraq is likely to be announced next week.
The deal with Iraq comes as the fight against remnants of ISIS continues in Iraq and Syria and will lead to a reduction in U.S. troops in the country.
“ISIS has certainly suffered a major defeat, a territorial defeat, and we want to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS, but the threat remains,” a senior defense official told reporters on Friday.
Iraqi officials have said publicly they want the 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq to withdraw by the end of 2026. U.S. officials have been negotiating with the Iraqi government over the plan for the past year, and those talks are in the final stages, officials said.
“We haven't reached a final conclusion yet. We expect we'll have some clarity sometime next week,” the administration official said.
U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, ousting former leader Saddam Hussein, and withdrew in 2011. But U.S. troops returned to Iraq in 2014 to fight ISIS at the head of a coalition of more than 80 troops formed to defeat the terror group that was declared defeated in 2017.
About 2,500 troops remain in Iraq as part of a coalition to stop the group in the region, stationed at three main bases in Baghdad, the western Anbar province and the northern Kurdistan region.
U.S. officials want to keep a military presence in Iraq, but both the Baghdad government and civilians want them gone.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-SudaniEarlier this weekHe declared that there was “no longer any justification” for sending large numbers of U.S. troops to his country. “We don't need a coalition. We have moved from war to stability. ISIS is not really a threat.”
Tensions are also rising in the region, with Israel's war in Gaza coming under attack from Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria.
The officials said announcements from Washington and Baghdad are expected to come after officials from the two countries meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
While there is “broad agreement” that coalition forces will continue, “we will be transitioning from a coalition military mission in Iraq to a more enduring bilateral security partnership,” the administration official said.
This was discussed when President Biden met with Sudani during his visit to Washington in April, they noted.
“Since then, we have been working with the Iraqis and, importantly, all coalition nations to determine when, how and what that will look like,” the official added.
Not everyone is happy with the deal, including Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who expressed concerns Thursday about its impact on US national security.
“There appears to be no strategic military advantage to this anticipated decision. Pulling out of Iraq in this way would benefit and embolden Iran and ISIS. I am deeply concerned about the impact such a decision would have on our national security,” Rogers said.I wrote to X.
ISIS attacks in Syria and Iraq have continued this year, with the group claiming 153 attacks so far in the first half of 2024. U.S. special forces and Iraqi forces have conducted several joint strikes against the militants.
