SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on Tuesday that only hundreds of U.S. troops would remain in Iraq, as the country marks the centenary of the Iraqi Army Day.
Kadhimi said during a televised speech on Tuesday that the U.S. troops’ withdrawal came due to the ongoing strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States that yield in the withdrawal of batches of U.S. troops during the past months.
“Only hundreds of them will remain, for cooperation in the fields of training, rehabilitation, armament, and technical support [for Iraqi forces],” Kadhimi said on the eve of the centenary of the Iraqi Army Day.
“The withdrawal of more than half of them will complete in the coming days,” he added.
He further said that the withdrawal of the U.S. forces was based on the readiness of the Iraqi forces to protect Iraq and preserve dignity of its people.
In November, U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said the United States would reduce troop levels in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500 by mid-January.
The plan will accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq in U.S. President Donald Trump’s final days in office, despite arguments from senior military officials in favor of a slower, more methodical pullout to preserve hard-fought gains.
Kadhimi noted that Iraq would not be an arena for regional or international conflicts and would not allow its lands to be used to settle scores between countries.
“The Iraqi army is ready to fulfill its duty, and on the day of our brave army, we announce that 2021 will be the year of Iraqi accomplishments at all levels,” he said.
