First Round of U.S.-Iraq Talks to End Anti-ISIS Coalition Mission

The United States and Iraq held their first official meeting on Saturday aimed at ending the mission of the international military coalition led by the U.S. in Iraq, which was formed to combat the group known as the Islamic State or ISIS, in Baghdad. According to the Associated Press, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani stated in a statement that he supports the initiation of the first round of bilateral talks between Baghdad and Washington to end the international anti-ISIS military coalition's mission in Iraq. The coalition announced that a working group comprising military officials from Iraq and the coalition will assess 'the ISIS threat, operational requirements, and the capabilities of Iraq's security forces,' and report the results to a higher military council 'to determine the conditions for the transition of the mission in Iraq.' The United States also emphasized in this statement that discussions regarding the formation of a committee to negotiate the conditions for ending the U.S.-led coalition mission, which began last year, and the timing of this initiative, are not related to recent attacks. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had announced that a council consisting of U.S. and Iraqi officials would begin high-level negotiations in the coming days to 'advance the common goal of both countries for establishing a sustainable security partnership.' According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon stated that this council is held to meet 'joint commitments regarding regional security and Iraq's sovereignty' and follows the joint security cooperation talks that took place last year in Washington. High-level U.S.-Iraq negotiations; the Pentagon has 'advancing a sustainable security partnership' on its agenda. Iraq and the U.S. agreed to form a negotiating committee regarding the future of the international coalition forces. Reuters: The U.S. and Iraq begin negotiations concerning the end of the international coalition's presence. The White House takes the Iranian regime's proxy attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq 'very seriously.' Attack on Ain al-Asad base in Iraq; several U.S. personnel sustained 'minor injuries.' Politico: The request for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq had 'domestic consumption'; Sudani called for the continuation of the U.S. presence. The Pentagon says the U.S. has no plans to withdraw from Iraq; Baghdad seeks the withdrawal of U.S. forces.