Jun 12, 2020, 9:00 PM

Withdrawal of US troops from Iraq affirmed by two sides: Iraqi PM

Withdrawal of US troops from Iraq affirmed by two sides: Iraqi PM

TEHRAN, Jun. 12 (MNA) – Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi says Baghdad and Washington have affirmed their commitment to the withdrawal of US troops from the Arab country.

The news comes months after Iraqi lawmakers passed a resolution calling on the government to end all foreign troop presence, however, al-Kadhimi did not give any timeline for the troop pullout.

The prime minister said the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue by video conference discussed the future of the presence of American forces and recognized the Iraqi parliament's decision on the pullout of foreign troops from the country.

A joint statement said the United States promised to reduce troops from Iraq over the coming months.

"The two countries recognized that in light of significant progress towards eliminating the ISIL terrorists’ threat, over the coming months the US would continue reducing forces from Iraq," it said, without giving figures.

"The United States reiterated that it does not seek nor request permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq," it said.

Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's PMU, and their companions in a US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport two days earlier.

Later, on January 9, former Iraqi prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move.

MNA/PR

News Code 159716

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