US and Iraqi governments expected to start talks on future of US military presence in the country

The US and Iraq are expected to soon begin talks on the future of the US military presence in the country, according to sources familiar with the matter, amid public calls from the Iraqi government for the US to withdraw its troops.

The US and Iraq agreed to form a higher military commission last summer, according to the Pentagon, as a vehicle for the talks. The discussions between US and Iraqi officials, akin to a working group, will focus on the next phase of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, with the terror group now reduced to a shadow of its former self. US military officials and diplomats will be involved in the discussions, officials said.

The talks about the future of the US’ military presence have now taken on a greater urgency amid the wider regional instability, and amid growing public calls by the Iraqi government for the US to withdraw its troops from the country. Those calls have come in response to the US launching airstrikes inside Iraq targeting Iran-backed militants who have been attacking US personnel there.

The US has roughly 2,500 troops currently in Iraq who have been operating there in an advise and assist capacity since December 2021, when the US military announced the end of its combat role in the country.

Part of the discussions will focus on whether and when it will be feasible to end the US military presence in Iraq. The US prefers a schedule that would be based on conditions in Iraq, including the ongoing defeat of ISIS and the stability of the government and the Iraqi security forces, US officials said.

But some elements within the Iraqi government prefer a schedule based on a timeline, setting the date for an American withdrawal regardless of the stability or the security situation within the country. On January 10th, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said they would soon begin the process “to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently.”