The US Department of Defense said it did not intend to withdraw troops from Iraq.

“At present, the US military does not plan to leave Iraq,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

He also noted that the United States wants to "be a friend and partner in a sovereign and prosperous Iraq."

“At present, we hope and strive to ensure that the US Armed Forces remain in the region and in Iraq to support the latter in ensuring security and prosperity,” he said.

According to Hoffman, it seems to him "obvious that a consensus has developed in Iraq about the US military as a positive force."

“The presence of the US Armed Forces in Iraq ensures the presence of NATO, and also allows the alliance to participate in operations against the IG * and training operations, and to support the Iraqi Security Forces,” the US military said.

It is worth recalling that earlier this week, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, William Warda, said that the republic’s cabinet will support the parliament’s decision to withdraw foreign troops from the country.

“The Iraqi government is ready to implement the decision of the Iraqi parliament, which states that all foreign troops should be withdrawn from Iraq. Foreign troops mean not only the US military, but also military personnel of other countries in Iraq, ”he said in an interview with CNN.

On January 5, the Iraqi parliament voted to withdraw foreign troops from the republic. A resolution came into force, which implies, inter alia, the termination of the agreement with the anti-IS coalition led by the United States. The corresponding recommendation was made to the Parliament by the Acting Prime Minister of Iraq, Adel Abdul Mahdi.

  • The Pentagon Building in Washington
  • AFP
  • © SAUL LOEB

The day after the adoption of the resolution, the representative of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Abdel Kerim Half, said that Baghdad was engaged in preparing a mechanism to withdraw a foreign military contingent from the country. According to him, the republic wants to limit the activity of the international coalition to combat IS in Iraq with consultations, arms supplies and training of military personnel, while representatives of foreign forces must leave the country.

It is worth noting that several American military bases are deployed in Iraq, and the total number of US military is about 5 thousand people.

Background to Baghdad's Decision

Recall, the resolution on the withdrawal of foreign troops from the republic was adopted by Iraqi parliamentarians after the United States launched a missile strike in the vicinity of Baghdad airport on the night of January 3. The attack killed the General of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Kassem Suleimani, as well as the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militia Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and about ten escorts.

The Pentagon said that the decision on the strike was made personally by Donald Trump. As the US Department of Defense noted, the attack was allegedly aimed at “deterring future Iranian attack plans” and extraterritorial defense of US personnel.

The international community condemned the incident. So, in Russia and a number of other countries, it was stated that the assassination of Suleymani would lead to increased tension in the region. The Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized that this US measure will affect the entire system of international security.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry, in turn, called Washington’s actions a gross violation of the conditions for the presence of American troops, recalling that the US has the right to only train Iraqi forces and fight terrorists as part of the coalition. As Abdul Mahdi said earlier, Washington informed Baghdad of the impending attack on Iraqi territory only a few minutes before its start. According to him, the Iraqi authorities did not give permission for such an operation.

The United Nations called this step of the United States illegal and said that the explanations of the American side cannot serve as a basis for the elimination of citizens of two sovereign countries.

Trump responded to criticism only a week after the attack. So, on January 10, he stated that Suleymani allegedly had plans to attack simultaneously four American diplomatic missions, including the one located in Baghdad.

However, the US authorities have not developed a unified approach to how to argue for the need to eliminate the Iranian general Suleimani.

  • US Air Strike at Baghdad International Airport January 3, 2020
  • Reuters
  • © Iraqi Security Media Cell

So, a couple of days after Trump’s statement, Defense Minister Mark Esper said on CBS that he did not see any “concrete evidence” that could be a confirmation of the words of the head of the White House.

“Deliberately threatens”

A few days after the Iraqi parliament decided to withdraw foreign troops from the territory of the republic, the State Department expressed confidence that the Iraqi government does not plan to fulfill the will of parliamentarians. This was stated by a senior official of the US Foreign Ministry, answering the corresponding question during a briefing.

“From the point of view of the political situation, of course, I cannot predict the actions or statements of the council of representatives (Iraqi parliament. - RT ), but I would also like to note for reference that the resolution he adopted is not binding and ask: who is in Iraq would you like the withdrawal of American troops? I believe that at the moment no one in the Iraqi government would like this, ”he said.

At the same time, as a result of the US State Department, in response to the demand of Abdul Mahdi to send Washington representatives to develop mechanisms for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq, he expressed his unwillingness to discuss this topic with Baghdad. This is stated in the message of the American Foreign Ministry.

“At the moment, any delegation that will be sent to Iraq will be busy discussing how to confirm our strategic partnership, not by discussing the withdrawal of troops, but how to properly and appropriately deploy our forces in the Middle East,” the statement said. .

After that, Donald Trump said that in the event of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Baghdad will be obliged to pay compensation to Washington for the construction of military bases and embassies in the republic.

In addition, the American leader recalled that large volumes of Iraqi assets were posted in the United States.

“At the moment, we have a lot of their money. We now have $ 35 billion of their funds deposited in a bank account. I believe that they will pay, otherwise we will stay there (in Iraq. - RT ), ”he said.

  • US President Donald Trump
  • Reuters
  • © Carlos Barria

Washington also did not fail to assess the possible consequences of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi territory. According to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Joey Hood, this could lead to the resumption of activity of the IG.

However, experts believe that Trump’s reluctance to withdraw troops from Iraq in the first place can be explained by the fact that in the United States "the presidential campaign is in full swing."

“Now it’s quite dangerous for Trump to show any weakness, especially with regard to protecting US interests. Hence the order to kill Suleimani, and the categorical refusal to engage in dialogue with the Iraqi authorities. For the same reason, until November 2020, a serious dialogue between Baghdad and Washington is unlikely to take place regarding the withdrawal of American troops, ”said Vladimir Batyuk, chief researcher at the US and Canada Institute, in an interview with RT.

Moreover, according to the analyst, Washington is now “deliberately threatening” Baghdad.

“The United States has repeatedly stated that it will freeze Iraq’s gold and foreign exchange reserves on its territory to force Iraq to abandon its plans to withdraw US troops. For Baghdad, this is a significant amount. In addition, such actions by Washington can lead to a serious jump in prices within the republic, ”the analyst predicted.

At the same time, Vladimir Batyuk considers the statements of the American side on the negative consequences of the withdrawal of the US military from Iraqi territory, in particular, on the potential revival of the Islamic State, to be “unsound arguments”.

“This organization is defeated both in Iraq and in Syria,” the expert said.

According to him, in reality, the US fears that Iran may strengthen its influence in the neighboring republic.

“For Washington, this is the most negative scenario after the withdrawal of troops,” the analyst explained.

Legal right

At the same time, according to political scientists, Iraq has every right to demand the withdrawal of foreign troops from its territory, including American ones.

On January 15, Iraqi President Barham Saleh announced that the state does not seek to be the scene of a new war.

  • Iraqi President Barham Saleh
  • AFP
  • © Drew Angerer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA

“The president said that Iraq does not want to be a springboard for any hostile actions against any of its neighbors or a new battlefield that depletes the energy and capabilities of the people,” the presidential office said.

According to Vladimir Batiuk, such a desire for the Middle East republic "is becoming even more relevant given the sharp aggravation of US-Iranian relations."

However, as the expert emphasizes, the United States does not want to recognize this right of Baghdad.

“The United States respects international law to the extent that it benefits them,” says Batyuk.

HSE professor Dmitry Evstafyev suggested in an interview with RT that Washington would do everything possible to prevent the withdrawal of its military contingent from Iraq.

“After all, if Iraq achieves the withdrawal of American troops, then other sovereign states such as Japan or South Korea may also want this,” the analyst concluded.

* “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.