MESOP MIDEAST WATCH : No Plan to Extend Deadline for Withdrawal of US Combat Forces: Iraq + Kurdistan

ERBIL 28-11-2021 — There is no plan to extend the deadline for the withdrawal of the US combat forces from Iraq, said a spokesperson for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command on Sunday.

“The deadline remains fixed on 31 December 2021,” Major General Tahseen Khafaji said, noting that no exceptions would be acceptable.

“The task of the US forces will shift from combat to advisory and training right after the deadline,” Khafaji added.

During the fourth round of the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue in June this year, Baghdad and Washington agreed on the withdrawal of the US combat troops by the end of the current year.

Since then, there has been a significant decline in the attacks on the US bases and the US embassy in Iraq, which were often blamed on the Iran-backed Shia militias.

However, the militia groups continue to threaten to take action again the US forces if Washington refuses to abide by the agreement and move its combat forces out on the designated deadline.