U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 151 times since October by militant groups trained and supplied by Iran. Pentagon officials have stressed that about 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Iraq and 900 are deployed to Syria as a buffer to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State, but Iraqi officials have increasingly expressed alarm amid a cycle of violence in which U.S. troops come under fire and occasionally respond with airstrikes.
Iraqi officials, in a statement, acknowledged the beginning of the meetings but left it unclear whether they will ask for the Pentagon to leave.
The statement, released by the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that “in line with the growing capabilities of the Iraqi forces,” the Iraqi government is announcing “the success of continuous negotiations” about future steps that began in August.
The meetings of the commission are aimed at formulating “a specific and clear timeline determining the duration of the presence of the international coalition advisors in Iraq, initiating a gradual and thoughtful reduction of their presence on Iraqi soil, concluding the military mission against ISIS, and transitioning to to comprehensive bilateral relations with coalition countries in politics, economics, culture, security, and military affairs, aligning with the vision of the Iraqi government.”
The Iraqi parliament has voted to eject U.S. military forces from the country. But U.S. officials have said that no formal notification to do so has occurred.
Mustafa Salim contributed to this report. This is a developing story.