US Defense Chief says U.S. has no plans to withdraw from Iraq

The US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper pushed back on reports on Monday that the US military was planning to withdraw from Iraq in response to a resolution passed by the Iraqi Parliament, according to CBS News.

Earlier media reports said that the US military has announced preparation for  withdrawal from Iraq.

Brigadier General William Seely, who oversees US Task Force Iraq, sent a letter to the head of Iraq’s joint operations command on Monday, less than week after the US assassinated Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani, the reports said.

“In order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner,” read the letter.

 It added that the forces would “be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement.”

Esper, who denied the letter, said “there is no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.. There has been no decision made to leave Iraq.”

The Pentagon chief added that the letter is “inconsistent with where we are right now.”

A US military official also said that the letter had been “poorly worded.”

 “This was a mistake from McKenzie,” Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley told reporters, referring to US Central Command commander General Frank McKenzie. “It shouldn’t have been sent.”

Also on Monday, Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi stressed the need for joint action to implement the withdrawal of foreign forces in accordance with the decision of the Iraqi parliament and to put the relations with the United States on correct foundations, according to the Iraqi News Agency.

Abdul Mahdi indicated that Iraq is making all possible efforts to prevent the slide into an open war.

Hamda Mustafa