Iraqi Defense Minister meets US counterpart at Pentagon

The Iraqi Minister of Defense, Muhammad Al-Abbasi, met on Tuesday with the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, to discuss the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

The Iraqi Ministry of Defense mentioned in a statement that Al-Abbasi headed a delegation of senior military officials on an official visit to the United States to hold the second round of discussions to end the mission of the international coalition in Iraq, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

During the meeting, Austin underscored the United States’ commitment to Iraq’s continued sovereignty and security, according to a statement released by the US Department of Defense.

The meeting capped the two-day Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue this week focused on how the mission of the global coalition against ISIS in Iraq would end and transition to an enduring bilateral security relationship between the US and Iraq.

The Pentagon Press Secretary, Pat Ryder, revealed on Monday that US and Iraqi officials are meeting at the Pentagon to discuss when and how the global coalition’s mission in Iraq would end.

The work of the Higher Military Commission (HMC), which resulted from a meeting in Washington in April between President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, will be expanded upon during Tuesday’s Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue talks, according to the US Defense Department.

According to Ryder, the HMC has examined the operational capabilities of ISIS as well as the ability of Iraqi security forces to counter the danger posed by ISIS.

The participants in the Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue will study the HMC’s recommendations this week with an eye on the coalition’s future as well as the bilateral security cooperation between the United States and Iraq.

In January, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Baghdad had agreed with Washington to establish a timetable for the withdrawal of the international coalition from Iraq.

The Iraqi ministry mentioned in a statement that the step follows the growing capabilities of the Iraqi forces.

Iraq and the United States agreed to launch the HMC to evaluate the threat ISIS poses and to draw up a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of the advisors of the international coalition combating ISIS in Iraq.

The agreement calls for a shift to full bilateral cooperation in the areas of politics, economy, culture, security, and the armed forces with the other members of the international coalition, in accordance with the goals of the Iraqi government.