MESOP NEWS : US ‘not giving up’ on Iraq: spokesperson

28 7 2021 –  Rudaw

An Arabic-language spokesperson for the US government spoke with Rudaw’s Shaho Amin on Tuesday, saying the US is “not giving up” on the Iraqi people following an announcement that it will end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year. 

Geraldine Gassam Griffith said a “new level” has been reached in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iraq needs to take control of the fight against the terror group.

US troops will continue to provide assistance, training and logistical aid to Iraqi and Kurdish forces, she added. 

Rudaw: Are American combat troops going to leave Iraq, or will they remain but change their official position to a training mission?

We have now reached a new level in the fight against Daesh [Arabic acronym for ISIS.] Daesh has been defeated in terms of its territorial control of Iraq, so now what we see is an improvement in the presence of US troops in Iraq. The role of America will change from combat to assistance, training, and logistic aid. The US enjoys strong relations with the Iraqi security forces, and we look forward to more cooperation. At this point the US focuses on helping to strengthen the abilities of the Iraqi security forces to face the current security challenges and fight sleeper cells in Iraq.

Is America planning to move its troops from Iraq to the Kurdistan Region or will they retreat from there as well?

The US cooperates with the Iraqi security forces as well as the Peshmerga forces, as I said this stage is not about retreat but an improvement in cooperation, so it is very important for the Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga forces to be able to face the remaining security challenges in Iraq. The future of the US presence is Iraq was discussed in the strategic dialogue and representatives from the Kurdistan Region participated, and these talks will continue between the US government and the government in Baghdad, as well as the Kurdistan Regional Government. What is important to us is the cooperation between US and Iraq, and specifically with the Peshmerga forces and Iraqi security forces.

When your combat troops leave Iraq, do you think that Iraq will be able to protect the US diplomatic missions that are always being targeted?

In the framework of the coalition forces, since 2014, more than 300,000 Iraqi soldiers have been trained, and through the strategic dialogue we saw real and strong readiness from the Iraqi government to do its duty in protecting the lives of civilians in Iraq and protecting the sovereignty and security of Iraq. So the US will continue military cooperation in addition to international efforts to support Iraq, because the time has come for Iraqi forces to be able to take over this war against Daesh, and as I said there is a development in the fight against Daesh. What is important to us is to defeat Daesh and support Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga forces to preserve this victory against Daesh for the sake of the Iraqi people and the security of Iraq.

Are there going to be any changes to your forces in Rojava or are they going to remain the same?

The US in North and East Syria focuses on defeating Daesh and cooperates with the security forces to do that. In addition to that, the US cooperates with the local authorities to stabilize the situation in Iraq for the displaced to return to their homes, this is the focus of the US in North and East Syria. The US cooperation with the SDF will continue in order to preserve the victory against Daesh and fight sleeper cells, and what is important to us is for there to be stability for the return of Syrian refugees and stability for the Syrian people.

So if some of your troops remain in Iraq as training teams, do you think there will still be threats of attack?

As I said, Daesh is territorially defeated in Iraq but it is no secret that sleeper cells are there and there are security challenges, which is why we continue to support Iraqi security forces and we have seen developments in the abilities of the Iraqi forces in facing these challenges. However, the US is not giving up on the Iraqi people, which is why the Biden administration decided to continue logistic help, military aid and training cooperation. However, right now the Iraqi forces are successful in facing the security challenges and in the future it is of great importance for the Iraqi forces to continue doing its duties in facing these challenges.

Translated by Dilan Sirwan