Iraq’s Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir al-Shammari met with Lt. Gen. Paul Calvert, the Iraqi military’s Security Media Cell announced on Saturday.
They agreed “on an action plan to implement the outcomes of the strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States and that the plan will be implemented during the next session of talks that will be held in Baghdad or Washington in July or August of 2021,” the media cell stated.
“It will include specific mechanisms and timings to complete the redeployment of the combat forces of the international coalition outside of Iraq,” it added.
Spokesperson for the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group (ISIS), Col. Wayne Marotto, described the technical talks as “a natural progression of our ongoing dialogue with the Iraqis, and are in keeping with commitments made during the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Dialogue.”
In April, Washington agreed to move its remaining combat troops out of Iraq, saying it was shifting to a training and advisory role. The technical talks are to develop a plan for the withdrawal, including a timeline. There are currently about 2,500 American troops in Iraq.
Iraqi militias backed by Iran have carried out frequent attacks on US positions and interests in the country to force their withdrawal. The militias stepped up their attacks after the US assassinated Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad last year.
.png&w=3840&q=75)
