American newspaper: the Pentagon is considering cutting its forces in Iraq in half
American newspaper: the Pentagon is considering cutting its forces in Iraq in half
11/6/2020 11:20
[Follow-up] Where
the New York Times revealed that the Pentagon is considering reducing the number of its forces in Iraq during the Iraqi-US strategic dialogue that begins today, Thursday.
The newspaper said that the increasing activity of ISIS in the recent period comes amid a debate about the fate of the American forces in Iraq, which currently number about 5,200 soldiers and are in charge of combating terrorism and training Iraqi forces.
Despite the efforts of the US President Donald Trump’s administration to keep a reasonable number of forces there to prevent the return of the organization in Iraq, there are “pressures” on the Iraqi and American sides to reduce the number of these forces. The Congress has increased its questions about this matter, and the Pentagon does not want to keep more than the minimum necessary After the recent attacks on US forces.
Since the attack on US forces at a military base in March, the US military has distributed its forces to a smaller number of bases, and the training mission has been suspended in recent months due to the Corona pandemic.
The newspaper said that Pentagon officials believe they are able to carry out the mission in Iraq with less than half the number of the current force and they already have plans to reduce the number of troops to between 2,500 to 3,000.
On the Iraqi side, the House of Representatives in January passed a law requiring the withdrawal of US forces from the country, but the government Al-Iraqiya has not implemented the non-binding resolution, and the Iraqi army is hesitant about leaving the entire US forces.
She said that although Iraqi officials say they can fight on the ground themselves, they also confirm their need for assistance with reconnaissance, air support and training.
The adviser to Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi said that all the details of the strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States, which kicks off today, Thursday, are “clear and no secret.”
Hisham Dawood said in a press statement that “Iraq also has military relations with the United States, and that successive governments in Iraq have asked Washington to help Iraq militarily in the war against ISIS terrorist gangs, and today the Al-Kazemi government confirms that Iraq now has military and security capabilities and capabilities To confront the risks and challenges inside the country and confront terrorism, and that Iraq may not need this number of American forces, “it is indicated that there are approximately 5,000 American soldiers in Iraq.
The advisor to the Prime Minister added, “The Iraqi government thinks with the United States that it is time to schedule the presence of these military forces on Iraqi soil, which came at the request of the Iraqi government in 2014, to remain friendly relations and continue cooperation between the two countries in the areas of training and intelligence and confront Terrorism and combating smuggling operations that harm Iraq, “stressing” the necessity of continuing these relations in many other aspects and not necessarily confined exclusively to the military side. ”
alliraqnews.com
