Iraq asks U.S. to make plans to withdraw troops

NEW: Iraqi PM Adel Abdul-Mahdi says he has asked the US to begin the process of planning the withdrawal of its troops from the country.

The presence of U.S. troops in Iraq — a fact of life in the country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion — has become the source of debate and controversy in recent days.from the commanding general of U.S. and allied troops in Iraq told the country's Ministry of Defense it would be"re-positioning forces over the course of coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement."

However, Pentagon chiefs have been quick to stress that there were in fact no plans to leave Iraq. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Mark Milley, has also denied the United States was leaving, describing the memo as"a mistake" and an unsigned draft. The removal of the 6,000 or so American troops in Iraq would impact Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational coalition dedicated to fighting Islamic State group. That coalition stood down from its campaign against the terrorist group after Soleimani's killing to concentrate on defending U.S. bases.that the U.S. stepping back from the fight against ISIS could provide a boost to extremists and an opportunity to Russia to increase its influence in Iraq.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

NBCNews /  🏆 10. in US

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Australian prime minister says troops will remain in IraqAustralian troops and personnel will stay in Iraq to continue their mission, Pri...
Read more »

Saudi Arabia will do everything to spare Iraq the danger of war: vice ministerSaudi Arabia's vice minister of defense said on Wednesday the kingdom and i...
Read more »

Live updates: Iran strikes bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces as revenge for Suleimani attackIran launched a series of missile attacks aimed at bases in Iraq, Iranian state television reported, saying that the missiles had been launched as the opening of Tehran’s “revenge” for the U.S. killing last week of a top Iranian general.
Read more »