Pentagon on whether U.S. planning to withdraw troops from Iraq in near future
Photo: Does the U.S. plan to withdraw troops from Iraq in the near future (GettyImages)
The Pentagon has responded to whether the United States is planning to withdraw its troops from Iraq, according to Reuters.
The Pentagon stated that they do not intend to withdraw American troops from Iraq, despite the resolution passed by the Iraqi parliament last week calling for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.
"Right now, I'm not aware of any plans (to plan for withdrawal). We continue to remain very focused on the defeat ISIS mission. U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the government," said Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder during a briefing.
The Pentagon representative mentioned that he is not aware of any plans by Baghdad to withdraw American troops from Iraq. He advised journalists to contact the U.S. State Department for any diplomatic discussions on this matter.
Situation in the Middle East
The office of Iraq's Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, announced on Friday, January 5, steps toward the withdrawal of U.S. troops after a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, condemned by the government.
In this action, the Pentagon killed the leader of Iran-backed militias in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. He was involved in planning and carrying out attacks on U.S. military personnel.
Additionally, we reported that anti-drone defense systems shot down an armed drone over Erbil airport in northern Iraq, where U.S. and other international forces are stationed.
