ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States on Friday suspended a program that granted Iraqis refuge in the US in exchange for aiding American troops in Iraq, according to a statement from the state department. “Effective January 22, 2021, the United States is suspending the Direct Access Program for the U.S.-Affiliated Iraqis for 90 days,” reads the statement from Daniel B. Smith, the acting secretary of state. He justified the temporary halt to the program, which incentivized Iraqis to work with the US military, by saying they have identified individuals stealing documents from the state department’s Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System “to take advantage” of the program. This suspension is needed to “further review and address vulnerabilities,” he said. The US has reduced the number of its troops in Iraq to 2,500, according to a statement released by the Department of Defense on January 15. “We recognize the importance of assisting those who legitimately put their lives at risk to provide critical support to the United States in Iraq and we do not take the decision to suspend this program lightly,” Smith added. US forces have come under repeated attack since Washington’s assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a January 2020 airstrike, also killing Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the Iraqi deputy of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi). The attacks have reduced recently despite fresh US sanctions on both Iran and PMF officials. Washington has previously threatened to withdraw all troops and close its Baghdad embassy if the Iraqi government fails to reign in Iran-backed militias, who have repeatedly targeted the embassy and Iraqi military bases hosting US-led coalition troops, as well as coalition-contracted convoys. Despite the reductions, Baghdad and Washington agree that a US and coalition presence remains "vital" in the continued fight against ISIS, the statement added. Joe Biden was sworn into office as President of the US on Wednesday, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and a violent insurrection at the Capital two weeks prior.
