US Forces to Stay in Iraq!

Local Editor

A spokesman for the US-led international coalition announced that Washington’s troops will stay in Iraq “as long as needed” to help stabilize regions previously controlled by Daesh [Arabic Acronym for the terrorist “ISIS”/”ISIL”].

“We’ll keep troops there as long as we think they’re needed. ... The main reason, after ISIS is defeated militarily, is the stabilization efforts and we still need to be there for that, so that’s one of the reasons we’ll maintain a presence,” Col. Sean Ryan told a news conference in Abu Dhabi.

The number of American soldiers could go down however, depending on when other forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization deploy to help train the Iraqi army, he said, adding that about 5,200 US troops are currently based in Iraq.

NATO military ministers agreed in February to a bigger “train-and-advise” mission in Iraq after a US call for the alliance to help stabilize the country after three years of war against Daesh.

“Possibly, there could be a drawdown, it just depends on when NATO comes in and they help train the forces as well,” Ryan said.

Iraq officially announced victory over the militants in December, five months after capturing their stronghold Mosul.

“We’re starting to see a lot of collaboration between the SDF and ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] because it used to be that they would just come to the coalition, but now, we have them talking to each other as well,” Ryan said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team