The Iraqi authorities announced that they had resumed talks with Washington on Sunday on the future of the international anti-jihadist coalition, hoping that nothing would
“disrupt”
these discussions in order to complete them
“as quickly as possible”
.
Since mid-October, pro-Iranian armed groups have continued attacks against American troops deployed in Iraq and Syria with an international coalition committed against the Islamic State (IS) group.
In retaliation, Washington carried out several deadly strikes against these factions.
Seeking de-escalation, Baghdad and Washington launched talks in late January via a joint
“Supreme Military Commission
. ”
The process was almost immediately suspended when on January 28 a drone attack killed three American soldiers in the middle of the Jordanian desert, on the Syrian border.
Also read: Iraq hampered by the presence of the American army
“The Iraqi Supreme Military Commission resumed its meetings on Sunday with the forces of the international coalition in Baghdad
,” General Yehia Rasool, military spokesperson for Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani, said in a statement.
At this stage, the discussions aim to assess the danger posed by IS, but also
“the operational environment”
and
“the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces”
, recalls the official in his press release.
165 drone strikes
“On the basis of these meetings, a timetable will be developed for a studied and progressive reduction”
of troops,
“until the end of the mission of the forces of the international anti-IS coalition
,” adds the press release.
“As long as nothing disrupts the serenity of the talks, the meetings will take place regularly to complete the work of the Commission as quickly as possible
,” he said.
Since mid-October, more than 165 drone strikes or rocket attacks have targeted American soldiers in Iraq and Syria, violence fueled by the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian Hamas.
Most of these attacks were claimed by
“The Islamic Resistance in Iraq”
, a network of pro-Iranian fighters.
The United States is deploying 2,500 troops to Iraq with the coalition, providing assistance and advice to government forces, to prevent a resurgence of ISIS.
To replace the international coalition, the Iraqi authorities wish to switch to bilateral military cooperation with each member country.
The coalition and the United States, however, suggest that the process could take time.
Announcing the resumption of talks, the coalition assured Thursday in a press release that their objective was
“to assess progress in our common mission to defeat ISIS, and to discuss the future transition of our mission”
.