SULAIMANI (ESTA) — White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk met Iraqi President Barham Salih and national security advisor Qasem al-Araji in Baghdad on Sunday.
McGurk arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit on Sunday, Iraqi media reported.
In a statement, Iraq’s presidency said Salih and McGurk stressed the need to ease tensions and support dialogue in the region.
They also discussed the end to combat role of the U.S.-led Coalition forces, the statement read.
The coalition forces announced on Thursday the end of their combat mission in Iraq ahead of the end of the year.
Iraq’s National security advisor said the Coalition’s combat troops were to withdraw.
In July, U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sealed an agreement to formally end the combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021.
The United States has kept around 2,500 troops in Iraq since 2020.
U.S. commander for the Middle East Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said in an interview with AP on Thursday that the United States would keep the current 2,500 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future and that it would still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State (ISIS).
In his meeting with Araji, McGurk reiterated the U.S. support to strengthen Iraqi capabilities in the face of terrorism, Araji’s office said in a statement.
McGurk said the United States “does not pose any threat to any country”, stressing that the common enemy is ISIS militants, the statement read.
He also said the U.S. would not use “Iraq’s sky, land and water as a launching pad to attack neighboring countries,” the statement cited him as saying.
