Iraqi PM confirms Iraq does not need foreign combat forces
The The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and senior officers of the Iraqi armed forces. Photo: INA
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, stated during a meeting with senior officers of the Iraqi armed forces on Monday that Iraq does not need foreign combat forces, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Al-Sudani revealed that discussions are being held to shape the future relationship and cooperation with the international coalition.
The Iraqi Prime Minister indicated that the Iraqis became more united after sectarian violence and division prevailed following years of change.
Al-Sudani’s remarks follow a meeting held on Sunday between the Speaker of the Parliament of Iraq, Mohammed Al-Halbousi, and the US Ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, where they discussed the results of the joint security cooperation dialogue between Iraq and the United States, according to official sources.
The US Department of Defense mentioned in a statement that the Iraqi Minister of Defense, Thabet Al-Abbasi, met last Tuesday with the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., during the inaugural US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue (JSCD).
The statement illustrated that Austin lauded the JSCD for its importance in advancing an enduring US-Iraq security partnership.
The JSCD builds upon the July 2021 US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, which reaffirmed commitment to the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement, resulted in the departure from Iraq of US forces with a combat role by December 2021, and led to a full transition of the military mission to training, advising, assisting, and sharing intelligence with the Iraqi security forces, according to the statement.