US President Donald Trump said that his country has a limited number of forces in Iraq, and we look forward to the day when there is no need for its presence in this country.
Trump stressed - in a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi at the White House - his country's determination to reduce its forces in Iraq. He said sending the troops there was a big mistake. He stressed that the US forces are in Iraq to help in the event that Iran does anything.
He pointed out that American companies participate in many oil exploration projects in Iraq.
For his part, Al-Kazemi said that Washington helped fight the Islamic State, stressing that the two sides are working to build relations that serve the interests of the two countries, and affirmed that his country welcomes US companies and investments.
Al-Kazemi is on an official visit to the United States, at the head of a high-level government delegation, his first since he took office last May.
big mistake
Trump had said in statements prior to the Al-Kazemi meeting that the US military presence in Iraq and the Middle East was the worst mistake in the history of the United States.
Trump added - during a press conference at the White House - that his country is continuing to withdraw its forces from Iraq, despite the opposition of many.
He emphasized that his country had withdrawn a large number of soldiers from Iraq and their number had become few. "We said that we will end these ridiculous eternal wars. I think it is the worst decision in the history of our country."
"We should never have been in the Middle East, but we withdraw quickly within a period of 3 years, and the exit is not easy, as some agree and many do not agree," he said.
And US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday - in a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein in Washington - that "armed groups that are not under the full control of the Iraqi prime minister have impeded our progress." "The local police should replace these groups as soon as possible. I assured my Iraqi counterpart that we can help him and that we will help him," he added.
"We discussed how we could work together to make Iraq safer and more stable," Pompeo said, and promised "to support the Iraqi security forces to reduce the power of militias that have long terrorized the Iraqi people and undermine Iraq's national sovereignty."
A senior US official then stressed this "persistent problem that represents a challenge to the security and sovereignty of Iraq and a threat to US security interests in the region."