Washington - There has been "no change" in US policy towards
the troop presence in Iraq, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Monday, amid
swirling reports of a troop pullout following the US killing of a top
Iranian general.
"There has been no change in US policy with regard to our force
presence in Iraq," Pentagon spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said in a tweet.
"We continue to consult with the Iraqi government regarding the
defeat-ISIS mission and efforts to support the Iraqi Security
Forces," she added.
The statement came shortly after multiple US media outlets reported
that a US general in Iraq sent a letter to Iraqi military officials
stating that US troops will be relocating troops "to prepare for
onward movement."
"We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure," the
letter reportedly said.
US General Mark Milley told reporters at the Pentagon that the letter
was a draft and "a mistake," according to multiple US media reports
Milley said the letter was "poorly worded, implies withdrawal. That
is not what's happening."
The future of over 5,000 US troops in Iraq came a day after Iraq's
parliament voted in a non-binding resolution for ousting US soldiers
following the killing of the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
"We do not accept that Iraq becomes a scene to settle scores," said
Iraq's caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi on Monday during a
meeting with China's ambassador in Baghdad.
Iraq's parliament passed a resolution calling for an end to the
presence of foreign troops linked to a United States-led alliance
fighting Islamic State. There are currently around 5,000 US soldiers
stationed in Iraq.
Trump's decision to kill move Soleimani, the commander of Iran's
elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the deputy head of
Iraq's Muslim Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi, along with several
other Iran-allied militiamen has sent shock waves throughout the
Middle East.
Abdel-Mahdi said on Sunday steps were being worked out for the
departure of foreign troops from the country.
"Iraqi officials in different departments are preparing a memorandum
on the legal and procedural steps to implement the parliament's
decision on the foreign troops' withdrawal," Abdel-Mahdi's office
said.
US President Donald Trump has by threatened Iraq with sanctions if
there is "any hostility" regarding the demand for US troops to leave.