US, Iraq initiate talks over future of coalition troops in Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States and Iraq on Thursday announced the start of bilateral talks to discuss the future of the global coalition's anti-Islamic State (ISIS) mission in Iraq. Both sides will assess the ISIS threat and the capability of the Iraqi security forces to counter it, during working group meetings. 

In August, Washington and Baghdad held the inaugural US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue (JSCD) in the American capital to discuss ongoing security cooperation and other defense-related issues. 

“The United States and the Government of Iraq will start working group meetings of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC) in the coming days, initiating a process the two sides committed to during the U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue (JSCD) in Washington, D.C., on August 7-8, 2023. The commencement of the HMC process reflects the deep U.S. commitment to regional stability and Iraqi sovereignty,” said the Pentagon in a statement on Thursday. 

“During that [August] meeting, the United States and Iraq committed to start the HMC to discuss how the Coalition's mission to defeat ISIS will transition on a timeline that considers three key factors: the threat from ISIS, operational and environmental requirements, and the Iraqi security forces' capability levels,” it added. 

A Pentagon official later told journalists, including Rudaw's Diyar Kurda, during a background press briefing that "the HMC meetings are not about a negotiation about the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq."

Iraq’s foreign ministry announced in a separate statement on Thursday “the success of the ongoing negotiation rounds between the two sides that began in August 2023 and its conclusion,” adding that this will lead to “the necessity of launching the Higher Military Commission (HMC) at the level of working groups to assess the threat and danger of ISIS, situational and operational requirements and enhancing the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.”

The statement noted that these efforts are aimed at formulating “a specific and clear timetable that specifies the duration of the presence of the international coalition’s advisors in Iraq, begin the deliberate gradual reduction of its advisors on Iraqi soil, end the military mission of the coalition against ISIS, and move to comprehensive bilateral political, economic, cultural, security, and military relations with the coalition countries that are consistent with the vision of the Iraqi government.”

The Pentagon said the US “remains committed to a secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq” and the Iraqi foreign ministry statement said “Iraq renews its commitment to the safety of the international coalition’s advisors.”

The pro-Iran Coordination Framework welcomed the joint-statement on Thursday, stressing the importance of formulating a "specific and clear" timetable for the presence of coalition advisors on Iraqi soil and beginning to reduce their numbers.

American troops and bases in Iraq and Syria have come under about 140 rocket and drone attacks since mid-October by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups condemning Washington’s support for Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip, according to the latest tally from the Pentagon. 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran and affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

Washington’s retaliatory strikes have drawn strong condemnation from the Iraqi government, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s military spokesperson describing them as “unacceptable” and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, calling on the international community to prevent aggressions against the country’s stability. 

This week, at least one militiaman was killed in American airstrikes on facilities of pro-Iran militias, mainly Kataib Hezbollah, near Anbar province’s Qaim district and Babil’s Jurf al-Nasr (formerly Jurf al-Sakhar). The US strikes were carried out  in response to a missile strike by pro-Iranian militias on Anbar’s Ain al-Asad airbase, which houses US-led coalition troops.

Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

Sudani earlier this month said that the withdrawal of the US-led global coalition against ISIS is “necessary” for the stability and security of Iraq, as well as the preservation of bilateral relations with coalition states.

Sudani noted that the justification for the presence of the coalition forces in Iraq is to fight ISIS, which is no longer a threat.

“Today, with the people of Iraq as witnesses, ISIS is no longer a threat to the Iraqi people," he said, suggesting that there is no need for the protracted presence of coalition forces in the country.  Nevertheless, he also added that “The Iraqi government and people are respectful and appreciate the position of the international coalition that contributed along with the Iraqi people to defeat ISIS."

The Iraqi government has recently been under mounting pressure to expel international coalition forces from the country, following a series of American retaliatory strikes targeting bases of state-linked militia groups.

Around 100 members of the Iraqi parliament earlier this month announced that they had signed a petition calling for the issuing of a binding resolution to expel forces of the US-led coalition from the country, labeling the foreign presence as a “threat” to Iraqi security.

In January 2020, angry over the US killing of Soleimani and Muhandis, the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding resolution to expel all foreign forces.