Iraq and the U.S. Agree to Form Committee to Discuss Future of International Coalition Forces

On Thursday, January 25, Iraq announced that Washington and Baghdad have agreed to form a committee to initiate discussions regarding the future presence of the U.S.-led international coalition in Iraq. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry stated that the purpose of this committee is to establish a timeline for the gradual withdrawal of troops and the conclusion of the coalition's mission in the country. The United States currently has 2,500 soldiers in Iraq whose mission is to provide advice and assistance to local forces to prevent the resurgence of the terrorist group ISIS. Hundreds of soldiers from mainly European countries are also participating in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The Iraqi government claims that ISIS has been defeated and that the coalition's work is complete, but it wishes to explore establishing bilateral relations with coalition members, including military cooperation in training and equipment. Baghdad also states that the almost daily attacks by Iran-affiliated militias on coalition forces' bases and the U.S. retaliatory strikes against them, which have intensified especially after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, have led to increasing instability in Iraq. Military officials from both sides are set to hold negotiations aimed at assessing the operational requirements and effectiveness of Iraqi security forces and the threats they face, which will determine the pace of the coalition's withdrawal and the future of bilateral relations with Iraq. In this context, Reuters reported on Wednesday, January 24, citing four informed sources, that Alina Romanowski, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, delivered a message regarding the end of the U.S.-led international coalition's activities in Iraq and how it will be replaced to Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi Foreign Minister. U.S. and Iraqi officials say these negotiations will take months, the outcome is uncertain, and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq is not 'imminent.' Washington is concerned that any security vacuum resulting from a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq could be filled by Iran or ISIS. The Islamic Republic claims that the U.S. military presence causes tension in the Middle East and calls for the withdrawal of American and Western troops from the region. In contrast, the U.S. and its allies view the behavior of the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups as a source of instability in the region. ISIS also has 'sleeper cells' in desert areas and, despite not controlling any territory, occasionally targets Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga. The U.S. attacked Saddam's regime in the winter of 2003 and kept most of its forces in the country until late fall 2011 after quickly overthrowing his government. However, just three years after the U.S. withdrawal, the emergence of ISIS led the United States to redeploy thousands of its soldiers to Iraq to fight this terrorist group.