Washington – US President Donald Trump assured that the United States would soon withdraw its military from Iraq. But President Trump avoided specifying the exact timetable for the military withdrawal. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Prime Minister of Iraq, is currently on a visit to the United States, and Trump made this announcement during a meeting with him. It is said that nearly 5,000 US soldiers are stationed in Iraq.
This is the first visit of Prime Minister Mustafa, who assumed power in Iraq nearly four months ago, to the United States. At this time, Prime Minister Mustafa thanked the United States for all the cooperation received in the conflict against the IS. The Iraqi Prime Minister expressed hope that Iraq will continue to receive the same cooperation even in the future. Whereas, the US President assured Iraq of military withdrawal and cooperation in the fuel and energy sectors.
Trump claimed that the United States has withdrawn a major part of its military from Iraq and soon, the United States would have withdrawn its military entirely from Iraq. At the same time, Trump expressed confidence that Iraq will be competent to defend itself after the US withdrawal. At this time, journalists asked the US President regarding the timetable for military withdrawal. Trump avoided answering this question. Whereas, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was present at this event, informed that the reduction in soldier deployment would start soon.
Currently, 5,000 US soldiers are deployed in Iraq for counter-terrorism actions and military training. But the demand that these soldiers should be withdrawn is becoming stronger in Iraq. The demand to expel the US soldiers, especially grew stronger after the US attack near Baghdad airport at the beginning of the year, to eliminate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The Iraqi leaders and officials having affiliations with Iran are actively supporting the demand for withdrawal of US soldiers. At the same time, the Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq are targeting the US military bases and military vehicles.
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who took over as the Prime Minister of Iraq in May, is the former chief of Iraqi intelligence. After becoming the Prime Minister, Mustafa took action against the extremist groups and their leaders. During this action, Iraq detained terrorists from Iran-affiliated groups. Mustafa had to face criticism from Iran following this.
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