Politico: US troop withdrawal to be announced next week

Information / Translation… The American newspaper Politico revealed, quoting two American officials in the Biden administration, that the United States expects to announce next week a long-awaited agreement with Iraq regarding reducing the American military presence in the country.

The report, translated by Al-Maalomah Agency, quoted the officials as saying that “negotiations over the plan, which Iraqi officials have publicly said will lead to the departure of 2,500 American troops in Iraq by the end of 2026, are in their final stages,” but they claimed that the fight against ISIS remnants in Iraq and Syria is not over yet.

The report added that “the upcoming announcement, which is expected to come after US and Iraqi officials meet again at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York next week, is part of the Biden team’s efforts to assess long-term US commitments abroad before President Joe Biden leaves office in January.”

The report indicated that, “However, the announcement of the withdrawal plan caused panic in Congress, as House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) expressed his frustration with what he heard from the Pentagon regarding the deal.”

“There appears to be no strategic military advantage to this anticipated decision,” Rogers wrote on social media. “Withdrawing from Iraq in this manner would benefit and embolden our enemies, and I am deeply concerned about the implications such a decision could have on our national security.”

For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said this week that “justifications no longer exist” for a large American presence in his country. “There is no need for an alliance and we have moved from wars to stability and ISIS does not represent a real challenge.”

Almaalomah.me