Framework “worried” about Trump’s backtracking on withdrawing US troops from Iraq

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[size=52]Framework “worried” about Trump’s backtracking on withdrawing US troops from Iraq[/size]

[size=45]The return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House has raised concerns among political forces in the “Coordination Framework” coalition about its impact on military understandings between Baghdad and Washington regarding the date for ending the mission of the international coalition led by Washington, which is scheduled to end in September next year.
The Iraqi government has not made any commitments regarding completing the file that these forces demanded clarification on.
Baghdad and Washington had reached, at the end of last September, an official date for ending the mission of the international coalition against ISIS in Iraq, not to exceed the end of September 2025.
This came after months of dialogue between the two sides following the escalation of demands to end the presence of the coalition by armed factions and Iraqi forces allied with Iran, especially after US strikes on the headquarters of factions in Iraq in response to their attacks on its bases inside and outside the country. The
Iraqi government has remained silent on the file despite the successive statements of forces in the “Coordination Framework” regarding it, and their confirmation that the file has become difficult. The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that the latter had a phone call with Trump last Thursday. A government statement confirmed that the two sides discussed relations between the two countries and the possibility of holding a meeting soon.
Salam Hussein, a member of the Fatah Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri, said that “after the escalating events in the region and Trump’s victory, completing the US withdrawal file has become difficult, as he (Trump) will work to stay longer so that he can protect the Zionist entity through this presence.”
He added, in a press statement, that “Trump is well aware after the Lebanon and Gaza wars that the Iraqi resistance poses a real threat to the Zionist entity after it was able to strike targets deep inside the Zionist entity,” adding, “This is why he wants to stay in Iraq to maintain control over the country’s airspace, and for the resistance’s movements to remain under his supervision.”
Issam al-Karti, a member of the Coordination Framework Alliance, warned on Sunday that “any American procrastination in ending the file will lead to dangerous consequences,” noting to reporters that “it is in the interest of the Iraqis to expel the US forces that facilitated the flight of the Zionist entity’s aircraft over Iraqi airspace to strike Iran, in violation of sovereignty and in breach of the standards and provisions of the strategic agreement.”
In turn, the Security and Defense Committee of the Iraqi Parliament spoke about open possibilities after Trump’s arrival to the White House. Member of the committee, MP Yasser Watout, said that “all possibilities have become possible, including canceling the agreement,” indicating in a televised statement that “every new American president who comes to power brings with him his own administration and team, and so far we do not know Trump’s specific orientations, whether he will maintain the agreement to withdraw the international coalition forces or cancel it,” stressing that “the decision is related to a government with a government, but it may not be far from canceling the agreement,” stressing that “the data is unknown, and the decision is up to the new American administration, and everything is possible.”
The date for ending the mission of the international coalition came after pressures on the Iraqi government recently from the “Coordination Framework” forces, regarding the necessity of resolving the issue of the presence of the international coalition. These forces and armed factions had raised doubts about the seriousness of the Iraqi government in setting a timetable.
There are about 2,500 American soldiers in Iraq as part of the international coalition against terrorism led by Washington since September 2014. The soldiers are distributed across three main sites in Iraq: Ain al-Assad base in Anbar, Harir base in Erbil, and Camp Victoria adjacent to Baghdad International Airport.
Not all of these forces are American, as there are also French, Australian, and British forces working within the coalition forces, and others within the NATO mission in Iraq.[/size]
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