Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, stated the ongoing negotiations to conclude the tasks of the Global Coalition in the country.
Brig. Gen. Rasool revealed, "The three subcommittees, formed by the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC), held meetings in Baghdad with their counterparts from the Global Coalition."
"The meetings aimed to assess the threat of terrorism, evaluate positions in the operational environment, and discuss current and future options to strengthen the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces."
Rasool noted that the committees submitted the minutes of their meetings, a crucial step toward finalizing the plan to conclude the Coalition's mission. The plan envisions transitioning to broader bilateral relations with member states.
The HMC meeting would continue unless "any unforeseen developments disrupt their peace." He said.
Last January, the Iraqi government announced the start of work of the joint Higher Military Commission between Iraq and the US-led Coalition in Baghdad to review the Coalition's mission after Iraq's victory against ISIS.
The Iraqi PM Mohamad Shia Al-Sudani explained that HMC will start its work in three working groups: the threat posed by ISIS, operational and environmental requirements, and strengthening the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.
Days later, the committee started its first meeting and agreed to hold military-to-military talks, assess the progress of the primary Coalition mission, defeating ISIS, and discuss future modifications to the coalition mission and its presence in Iraq.
Iraqi and Kurdish officials welcomed this step.
The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, expressed Kurdistan's support for the agreement, pledging that Erbil "remains committed to upholding peace, security, stability, and the sovereignty of the country. Furthermore, we aim to foster relationships built on mutual respect and shared interests."
"We support the position of the federal government headed by Mr. Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani, and we support the statement of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resume discussions with the American side to formulate a future relationship within the military and security framework to ensure the continued confrontation of terrorism and the protection of the country's security from external attacks, including the security and safety of the Kurdistan Region." Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani said.
In December 2021, the US-led Coalition ended its combat mission in Iraq four years after helping the Iraqi forces in defeating ISIS.
Currently, 2,500 troops are deployed to "advise, assist and enable" Iraqi security forces at the government's request.
It is noteworthy that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq has emerged as a significant issue, gaining prominence following the targeted killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and the leader of an Iran-backed leader, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, when the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling the government to end the presence of all foreign troops.
In the last months, the ongoing US airstrikes targeting Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq prompted Baghdad to consider terminating the mission of the U.S.-led Coalition.
The recent US military acts resulted in the death of about 16 PMF members, including fighters and medics, and a commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq accused by the Pentagon of attacking its troops.
Spokesperson Yahya Rasool expressed then concern, asserting that the U.S.-led coalition "has become a factor for instability and threatens to entangle Iraq in the cycle of conflict."