Mustafa Kadhimi, the Iraqi Prime Minister confirmed over last weekend that at least 2,500 US troops have been withdrawn already from Iraq as part of a three year period of pullout from the country.
Only one day after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it was withdrawing 2,200 troops from US President Trump announced even more cuts in the months to come. Now, troop levels in Iraq are at 5,200 but will be at 3,000 by the end of the month.
The US Central Command CENTCOM officials claim that it will. withdraw 2,200 troops from Iraq before the upcoming US election. The troops are to be withdrawn by the end of September confirming what the Trump administration has said recently.
On Thursday :President Trump said to reporters that he intended to withdraw substantial US troops from Iraq as soon as possible saying that the US will leave shortly.
Back in January this year, the Iraqi parliament voted 170 to 0 for a resolution requiring all foreign troops be withdrawn from Iraq. The resolution was not binding upon the government and a number of lawmakers stayed away from the vote.
US Special envoy for the ISIS conflict James Jeffrey denied on Thursday that the US has been having any talks with Iraq about withdrawing troops insisting that there is no real engagement.
Iraqi officials warn that the country would face almost immediate economic collapse should US President Trump impose sanctions on Iraq and freeze oil revenues because Iraq demanded US troops leave.
Today the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution to expel all foreign troops from the country as tensions are escalating between Iran and the US but between Iraq and the US as well after a US attack that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper was in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on Wednesday where he met with top Iraq officials. No doubt the talks involved damage control after the US deployed troops from Syria into western Iraq without asking Iraq's permission.
Just a few days after the US announced that US troops from Syria were being redeployed to western Iraq US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced that instead the troops will be returning to the US after all.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says that the current US plan is to send all US troops leaving Syria to be redeployed into the western part of Iraq to engage in anti-ISIS operations.
US troops have been in Iraq for most of the last sixteen years. Often relations of the Iraqi government to the troops have been defined by increases in US hostility to neighboring Iran.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has announced that some 600 additional troops will be sent to Iraq prior to a major offensive against the city of Mosul held by the Islamic State.
Baghdad -
Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr told his followers to target U.S. ground troops deploying in Iraq to help fight against the Islamic State.
Washington -
The U.S. Defense Department has announced that approximately 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to Iraq in late January 2015.
Baghdad -
The White House has announced that US president Barack Obama has authorised sending up to 1500 more troops to Iraq. If all 1500 are sent then the number of troops in Iraq will be doubled.
Baghdad -
While the Pentagon insists that there is no mission creep in Iraq and that those already present are limited to "advisory" operations, the Obama administration continues to send more equipment and more personnel to Iraq.
