US and Iraq to Start Discussions on Terminating US-Led Military Alliance During Israel-Hamas Conflict

According to media sources, negotiations over the dissolution of the US-led military coalition in Iraq and the establishment of bilateral ties will soon start between the US and Iraq. The message was sent by the Biden administration to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Wednesday via a letter.

According to sources cited by news agency Reuters, the US has abandoned demands that assaults against it by terrorist groups in Iraq that get support from Iran end there. Without providing any details, Iraq’s foreign ministry said that the prime minister will carefully review a “important” letter that had been sent.

There is no impending US force pullout and the discussions are anticipated to take many months, if not longer, with an undetermined result. With 2,500 soldiers, the US is supporting and training local forces in Iraq to stop the Islamic State from resurrecting. The group took control of most of Syria and Iraq in 2014 before losing the fight.

As part of the coalition headed by the United States and formed to combat the Islamic State, hundreds of soldiers from other nations are also present in Iraq. According to media sources, there is growing demand to withdraw the operation from Iraq. Since the start of the Gaza conflict, Iraq, a rare friend of both Washington and Tehran, has seen an increase in tit-for-tat assaults between militias and US soldiers as the militias try to put pressure on the US over its backing for Israel.

About 150 times, terrorists with ties to Iran have assaulted US forces in Syria and Iraq. In response, the US has launched a number of retaliatory attacks, the most recent of which took place on Tuesday. Due to the increasing level of violence, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has called for discussions to expedite the withdrawal of US-led coalition troops. According to agency reports, this procedure was started last year but stopped when the Gaza conflict broke out. It is now beginning to fall apart.

Under criticism, Washington has refused to discuss a possible exit because it was worried that any changes to the mission would seem forced, which would empower enemies in the area, especially Iran. However, the analysis was altered when it became clear that the assaults would probably continue and that the current situation was encouraging a continuous rise in violence, according to the study.

According to a US source, “the US and Iraq are close to agreeing to begin the Higher Military Commission dialogue that was announced back in August.” According to their statement, the commission would enable a collaborative assessment of the ability of the Iraqi security forces to combat the Islamic State and “form the framework of the bilateral security relationship.” “We’ve been talking about this for months now. The timing has nothing to do with recent assaults. During the negotiations, the US would retain its whole right to self-defense, the official told Reuters.

Strong conservative Iraqi militias with strong ties to Iran, the majority of which are not represented in the government or parliament but yet have a significant impact on decision-making, have spearheaded the assaults. The official start of the negotiations is anticipated by US and Iraqi officials to have the effect of relieving political pressure on the government of Sudan and perhaps reducing assaults on US personnel.