US to stop military operations in Iraq by the end of the year

The United States intends to complete the combat mission of its contingent in Iraq by December 31. However, they will continue to support local security forces as well as Kurdish paramilitaries. About it it says in the joint statement of the two countries released on Monday following the strategic dialogue. The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

“The delegations stressed that the bases used by the US contingent and the coalition are Iraqi and operate in accordance with the current laws of the country. These are not the bases of the United States and the coalition, the international contingent is present only to support the Iraqi government in the fight against IS (the terrorist organization Islamic State banned in the Russian Federation), “the text published by the press service of the State Department says.

Delegations, following recent technical consultations, decided that security cooperation “will be completely transformed and will focus on training, consulting and education [иракских сил], the exchange of intelligence information, and by December 31, 2021, there will be no US forces in Iraq participating in the combat mission. “

In addition, the American side intends to continue to provide support to the Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga formations, “to build capacity to counter future threats.”

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press. The negotiators emphasized that free and fair elections will strengthen Iraqi sovereignty and democratic institutions, as well as give impetus to the country’s development.

US President Joe Biden also announced the completion of the combat mission in Iraq following talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Qadimi. “I think things are going well. Our role in Iraq will be to […] continue training, help fight the Islamic State. The combat mission will be completed before the end of the year “, – quotes President of CNN.

Currently, there are about 3.5 thousand foreign military personnel in Iraq, 2.5 thousand of them are Americans. They ended up in Iraq in 2003, when the United States was fighting the regime of Saddam Hussein. In 2011, American troops were withdrawn from Iraq. However, three years later, US President Barack Obama returned the military amid the aggravation of the situation and the growing influence of the “Islamic State” in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier, the United States announced the timing of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The military must leave during August. Against the backdrop of the withdrawal of the US military, the Taliban terrorist movement launched an offensive against government forces and captured a significant part of the country.