Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Meeting of the heads of government
Biden ends combat mission in Iraq
The political situation in Iraq is unstable. Nevertheless, the US wants to end the combat mission in the crisis country. This is announced by US President Biden together with the Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Kasimi. However, a complete withdrawal of the 2,500 US soldiers remains unlikely.
The US wants to officially end its combat mission in Iraq and in future concentrate entirely on training and advising the security forces in the country. Remaining combat troops should leave Iraq by the end of the year, according to a joint statement by the two governments distributed by the US State Department. Relations between the two countries would enter a “new phase”, said US President Joe Biden. The role of the international soldiers in Iraq is to support the government in its fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS).
Biden said at a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi in the White House that the US would no longer be in combat in Iraq by the end of the year. The role of US troops will be “to be available, to train, to support, to help and to deal with the IS”. According to the White House, around 2,500 US soldiers are currently deployed in Iraq. The future number will be based on the requirements of the changed use, it said. However, experts did not expect a larger troop withdrawal.
Fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State
The US is leading an international coalition in Iraq that is taking action against ISIS in the region. The use of US soldiers is controversial in the crisis country. In particular, Iraqi parties and militias closely linked to Iran are calling for their withdrawal. Other forces such as Sunni parties and Kurds, on the other hand, want US troops to stay in the country. Under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, the US had reduced the number of troops in Iraq. The political situation in the country is unstable. Just a week ago, dozens of people were killed and many others injured in an IS attack in Baghdad. At the same time, the influence of pro-Iranian militias in the country is growing.
In addition, there have been mass protests against the country’s leadership since autumn 2019. The demonstrators accuse her of mismanagement and corruption. Iraq is still suffering from the aftermath of the fight against ISIS, which ruled large areas in the north and west of the country between 2014 and 2017. The Iraqi security forces were able to militarily defeat IS with international support – especially the USA. The security situation in Baghdad has improved significantly since then. Terrorist cells are still active and are carrying out attacks.
Iraq, which is dependent on the sale of raw materials, is also suffering from a severe economic crisis and high unemployment due to the low oil prices. The country is also one of the countries in the region that has been hardest hit by the corona pandemic.
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