WASHINGTON: The US has no plans to pull out militarily from Iraq, Defence Secretary Mark Esper said at the Pentagon early this morning, following media reports of a US military letter about a withdrawal.
“There’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq,” Esper said, when asked about the letter, adding there had also been no plans issued to prepare to leave.
“I don’t know what that letter is ... We’re trying to find out where that’s coming from, what that is. But there’s been no decision made to leave Iraq. Period.”
Esper added the US was still committed to countering Islamic State in Iraq, alongside America’s allies and partners.
Reposition
Media reports last night said that the US military had written to Iraq yesterday that it would pull out of the country and would be repositioning forces over the next few days and weeks, in the aftermath of an American drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
The reports said it was not immediately clear if all roughly 5,000 US troops in Iraq would leave the country.
Several helicopters could be heard flying over Baghdad last night and the report said it was not immediately clear if this was a related development.
The letter said coalition forces would be using helicopters to evacuate.
The authenticity of the letter, which was addressed to the Iraqi defence ministry’s Combined Joint Operations Baghdad, was confirmed independently by an Iraqi military source, the reports said.
US President Donald Trump earlier threatened sanctions against Iraq and said Baghdad would have to pay Washington for an air base in Iraq if US troops were required to leave.
His threat followed an Iraqi parliament resolution on Sunday calling for all foreign troops to leave the country.
“Sir, in deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, CJTF-OIR will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement,” the letter stated.
It was signed by US Marine Corps Brigadier General William Seely III, commanding general of the US-led military coalition against Islamic State.
CJTF-OIR stands for Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve.
“We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure,” the letter said.
Demands
Iran’s demand for US forces to withdraw from the region gained traction on Sunday when Iraq’s parliament passed the resolution calling for all foreign troops to leave the country.
Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Abdel Abdul Mahdi told the US ambassador to Baghdad yesterday that both nations needed to implement the resolution, the premier’s office said in a statement. It did not give a timeline.
The letter stated, “During this time, there will be an increase in helicopter travel in and around the International Zone (IZ) of Baghdad.” The International Zone is the formal name of Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign missions.
In Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept in grief with hundreds of thousands of mourners thronging the streets of the Iranian capital at Soleimani’s funeral.
He was killed by the US drone at Baghdad airport on Friday on Trump’s orders.
Revenge
Responding to Trump’s threats to hit 52 Iranian sites if Tehran retaliates for the drone strike, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani pointedly wrote on Twitter: “Never threaten the Iranian nation.” And Soleimani’s successor vowed to expel US forces from the Middle East in revenge.
Trump on Saturday vowed to strike 52 Iranian targets, including cultural sites, if Iran retaliates with attacks on Americans or US assets, and stood by his threat on Sunday, though American officials sought to downplay his reference to cultural targets. The 52 figure, Trump noted, matched the number of US Embassy hostages held for 444 days after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Trump took to Twitter to reiterate the White House stance that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon” but gave no other details.
Soleimani built a network of proxy militia that formed a crescent of influence – and a direct challenge to the United States – stretching from Lebanon through Syria and Iraq to Iran.
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