Iraq, US begin talks over exit of troops

Iraq and the United States started talks in Baghdad on Saturday to review the situation and withdraw the remaining 2,500 American troops along with other European allies, which had been formed in 2014 to help Iraq forces fight Daesh.

It is now felt that the threat posed by Daesh to Iraq is over, and the Iraqi regions occupied by Daesh have been recaptured. Iraq has been eager and anxious that the American troops should leave its territory because it felt that the Americans have violated its sovereignty in assassinating the Iranian commander of the elite National Guards, Qassem Soleimani, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside Baghdad airport.

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza on October 7, the American military base has been under attack from Iran-supported groups. But the withdrawal of troops will take time and there will be many rounds of negotiations before the deal is concluded. According to the United States, it has been planning the move since last August.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office in a statement said the joint commission which included the American military brass in Iraq and Iraqi officials began their first round of talks, and that “military experts will oversee ending the military mission of the Global Coalition against Daesh, a decade after its initiation and after successful achievement of its mission in partnership with Iraqi military and security forces.”

Al-Sudani’s office also said three working groups would examine “the level of threat posed by Daesh, operational and environmental requirements, and strengthening the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.”

The Pentagon’s deputy press secretary in a more guarded and tentative tone said that the American footprint in the Arab country will be part of the “conversations as it goes forward.”

The Iraqis are quite clear that they want a complete withdrawal of American military presence in the country, but it appears that Americans are thinking in terms of assessing whether they should still retain a minimal military presence in Iraq in the wake of the war in Gaza. 

Meanwhile, Daesh in Iraq in a statement said that the decision of the Americans to withdraw is its victory and that it justifies the use of violence because Americans understand only the language of force. It indicates that Daesh is still claiming a presence in Iraq.

Iraq is in a dilemma because it is close to Iran ever since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than 20 years ago, and the Shia majority had gained an upper hand in the politics of the country. At the same time, the Sunnis and Kurds feel closer to Washington because it is the Washington-mediated constitution of Iraq that has ensured a role for the two groups.

The Kurdish representative will be the president, the Sunni representative the speaker of parliament and the Shia representative the prime minister. But Iraq is generally wary of its ties with the United States though it understands geopolitical compulsions of the American connection.

It is the American presence again that will hold Turkey back from attacking the Kurds in the north because Istanbul is fighting a war against Kurdish rebels in its territory. A section of Shias in Iraq are not in favour of the overwhelming influence of Iran.

Iraq is then placed in a sensitive position between Iran and Turkey, and in some ways it is wary of Syria as well as Lebanon. The various Sunni and Shia factions have however maintained a semblance of order in the country through hard negotiations and compromises. The exit of American troops from Iraq will help the country to achieve freedom in making its own decisions without appearing to be under pressure from either Washington or Tehran.