Informed sources revealed, today, Monday, July 8, 2024, that the American side has withdrawn from the official announcement of an upcoming schedule that includes reducing the number of its forces in Iraq, during the current week, after it had been preparing for that.

According to the sources, the American side backed down from its decision to announce the reduction of forces during internal deliberations, before meeting with the Iraqi side, within the framework of the Iraqi-American bilateral committee.

She suggested that “there is a link between the decision to postpone the announcement of the reduction in Iraq, after the process of withdrawing American forces from Niger took priority, as the American army completed, yesterday, the withdrawal of all its soldiers from “Air Base 101” in Niamey.  link

Tishwash:  Al-Sudani and a delegation from the Pentagon discuss the continuation of ending the mission of the international coalition

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani discussed with a delegation from the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) the procedures for proceeding with ending the mission of the international coalition to fight ISIS.

A statement by Al-Sudani’s office received by Shafaq News Agency stated that “the Prime Minister received the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs, Daniel Shapiro, and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of the US Ambassador to Iraq. During the meeting, the procedures for proceeding with ending the mission of the international coalition to fight ISIS and activating bilateral relations between Iraq and the United States were discussed.”

The meeting also discussed the situation in the region and the ongoing aggression on Gaza, as Al-Sudani referred to the suffering of the Palestinian people, the difficulty of humanitarian aid and relief supplies in light of the stifling siege, and the failure of the international community to assume its responsibilities in pressuring the Netanyahu government to stop the genocide.

The Iraqi Prime Minister stressed the need for a firm stance against the aggression, and the necessity of preventing escalation that threatens to expand the scope of the conflict.

For his part, the American official pointed out the importance of Iraq’s role in reducing tensions in the region, and the inevitability of continuing the approach of communication and cooperation between the two countries in the areas of armament and security and raising the combat level of the Iraqi forces, in a way that supports Iraq’s security and sovereignty, economic development and progress at all levels.  link