Hundreds of people waving the flags of pro-Iran groups attended on Thursday the Baghdad funeral of one fighter killed in the latest US strikes
Jan 25, 2024. Posted by Balkan
Periscope - Hellas
Baghdad.
Washington
and Baghdad will begin discussions expected to lead to a timeline to reduce the
presence of troops from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group,
Iraq said Thursday.
The announcement comes amid inflamed tensions as US forces have repeatedly struck Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria in response to dozens of attacks on bases hosting US and coalition troops in both countries.
The attacks
have been fuelled by the war in Gaza between Washington ally Israel and the
Iran-backed Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
The two
countries agreed to form working groups that would eventually lead to
formulating "a specific and clear timeline... and to begin the gradual
reduction of its (the coalition's) advisers on Iraqi soil", Iraq's foreign
ministry said.
The
ministry said the timeline would be contingent on evaluating the "threat
posed by IS and its danger" as well as the "reinforcement of the
capacities of the Iraqi security forces".
In a
statement, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed meetings "in the
coming days" to discuss the "transition" of the coalition based
on the outcomes of the Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue held between the two
countries in August.
The
meetings would "determine how the Coalition's military mission will evolve
on a timeline" based on factors including the threat posed by IS,
"operational and environmental requirements," and the capability
levels of Iraq's security forces, the statement said.
There are
roughly 2,500 US troops deployed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of the
anti-IS coalition launched in 2014.
A senior US
defence official said the upcoming meetings would not negotiate the withdrawal
of American forces from Iraq but acknowledged "a need to transition to a
normal bilateral security cooperation relationship.
Attacks 'need to stop'
The US
strikes on Iran-backed groups sparked condemnation from Baghdad, with Prime
Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani calling on the coalition to leave the country.
Hundreds of
people waving the flags of pro-Iran groups attended on Thursday the Baghdad
funeral of one fighter killed in the latest US strikes on Wednesday.
On a visit
to Iraq, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday said the
spate of attacks targeting US-led troops in Iraq "need to stop".
"We
are extremely worried by the constant attacks against international military
bases," said Albares, whose country has more than 300 troops deployed to
Iraq.
"We
are here at the request of the government of Iraq and we will leave when the
government of Iraq considers," Albares added, noting that he seeks to
"avoid a spillover effect of the crisis in Gaza".
While
receiving Spain's top diplomat, Sudani said IS "is no longer a danger for
the Iraqi state, and our armed forces are capable of fully assuming the
maintenance of security and stability".
A senior US
military official on Thursday estimated IS numbers at around 1,000 in Iraq and
Syria, including a network of "facilitators, fighters and financiers"
supporting the group.
Sudani
added that he hopes to form "bilateral relations with all member
countries" of the international coalition.
Many of the
attacks on coalition troops have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in
Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked groups that oppose US support for Israel
in the Gaza conflict.
AFP
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