Biden: US Combat Mission in Iraq Will Be Over by Year's End
Biden: US Combat Mission in Iraq Will Be Over by Year's End
M.U.H
27/07/2021895
President Joe Biden on Monday said that the US will not be in a combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
“I think things are going well,” Biden satated in the Oval Office on Monday, The Hill reprted.
“Our role in Iraq will be — It’s just to be available, to continue to train, to assist, to help, and to deal with ISIS (ISIL or Daesh) as it arises, but we’re not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission,” he continued.
Senior administration officials told reporters earlier on Monday that the military’s combat mission in Iraq will formally conclude by the end of the year and that the announcement will come in a joint communique issued after the meeting.
Biden noted that the US is committed to the fight against Daesh and will continue its counterterrorism operation in Iraq.
“We're also committed to our security cooperation. Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of the region and our counterterrorism operation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we're going to be talking about,” Biden stated.
He thanked Al-Kadhimi for coming to the White House and mentioned that his late son Beau Biden was in Iraq for a year with the Army National Guard.
Biden announced his administration is committed to strengthening the US-Iraqi partnership.
“And the US-Iraqi strategic dialogue is about commitments that expand our cooperation on issues like health care, climate, energy,” he added.
Biden also stated he supports strengthening Iraq's democracy and is “anxious” to make sure the country’s election happens in October.
“We've been talking a lot, our foreign ministers, our Cabinet members have been talking. We're looking forward to seeing an election in October. We're working very hard with the Iraqi government to make sure the [United Nations] UN and the [P]GCC, we have oversight, that there's full and fair elections,” he continued, referring to the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council.
The administration’s announcement marks a symbolic end to the combat mission, but US military operations in Iraq are expected to remain largely unchanged as troops there have been in a mostly training and advisory role for years.
Al-Kadhimi said Iraq is “stronger than ever” and that he looks forward to working with Biden, adding, “I'd like to thank the American people on behalf of all Iraq’s people."