State Department: US has no plans to withdraw troops from Iraq

Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, has said that the United States and Iraq are not engaged in talks regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi soil.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Patel clarified that there has been no dialogue on troop withdrawal but emphasized ongoing discussions about transitioning to bilateral security cooperation, Caliber.Az reports, citing the US State Department website.

“So we have held discussions with the Government of Iraq on the future of Operation Inherent Resolve since last year. This includes when Prime Minister Sudani met with President Biden here in D.C. in April. And at no point did we discuss the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, but we continued to discuss a – the transition to a – what we would say a bilateral security partnership, as highlighted in president – in Prime Minister Sudani’s readout of his call with Secretary Blinken,” Patel told journalists.

Noting that these discussions are part of a broader, evolving strategic dialogue between the two nations, Patel said: “These discussions are ongoing and it is a process that builds on previous bilateral strategic discussions, and it’s rooted in what I would say – which is our mutual commitment to security cooperation and a shared interest in regional stability, but I don’t want to get into more specifics beyond that. And I’m sure my colleagues at the Pentagon can talk more.”