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A US delegation in Iraq discussed American troop presence and the status of strategic talks in meetings with Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and President Barham Salih.

The meetings come as the US and Iraq discuss the future of relations and the future of the 2,500 US soldiers based in Iraq to support the fight against ISIS.

Mr Al Kadhimi met the delegation headed by US National Security Co-ordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk to discuss co-ordination and co-operation in various fields.

The meeting emphasised implementing the outcome of the strategic dialogue between Iraq and the US, especially with regard to the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, to the Iraqi PM's office reported.

Mr Al Kadhimi, who previously ran the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, worked closely with Mr McGurk when he was the US envoy to the international coalition against ISIS.

During his visit, Mr McGurk met President Barham Saleh and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Al Halbousi.

The Iraqi officials highlighted the importance of enhancing relations between Baghdad and Washington with Mr McGurk's delegation.

Mr Saleh told Mr McGurk that his country is "embarking on a balanced policy that will defuse tensions in the region".

"Iraq's distinguished geographical location represents a pivotal factor in facing challenges related to terrorism and enhancing stability in the region," Mr Saleh said during the meeting.

Mr McGurk's meeting with Mr Al Halbousi discussed "co-operation between the US and Iraq in the security, economic, cultural and health sectors in light of combating the coronavirus pandemic" the Iraqi news agency, INA, reported.

Mr Al Halbousi said that Washington must support Baghdad's security and stability.

Last year, a parliament bill ordered America to pull all its forces from Iraq following the killing of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani near Baghdad airport last January.

The officials also spoke about the "importance of activating the outcomes of the strategic dialogue".

Mr McGurk expressed the United States' continued support for "Iraq, and its commitment to the strategic partnership to ensure they work together for a strong, sovereign Iraq".

The US group is the largest and highest-level delegation from President Joe Biden's administration to visit the region since he took office on January 20.

As well as Mr McGurk, State Department counsellor and undersecretary Derek Chollet, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs Joey Hood, and the head of the Middle East desk at the Pentagon, Dana Stroul, joined the delegation.

The US and Iraq are in strategic dialogue to discuss the future of relations. The meetings began under former president Donald Trump last June and the first round of talks under the Biden administration were held last month.

A joint statement after the most recent talks said the US will move its remaining combat troops out of Iraq.

The visit came after three attacks on bases hosting American forces in as many days.

Two rockets hit an unoccupied area of the Ain Al Assad airbase in the Anbar province on Tuesday, "without causing damage or casualties", the Iraqi army said.

The attack followed a similar rocket strike against an airbase at Baghdad airport housing US-led coalition troops on Sunday night and another against Balad airbase, which hosts US contractors, north of the capital on Monday night.

None of the attacks have so far been claimed, but Washington blames Iran-linked Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, government-sanctioned paramilitary forces, for repeated attacks on its troops and diplomats.

Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have vowed to increase attacks to force out the US forces since Suleimani's killing.

AFP reported that since Mr Biden took office in January, about 30 rocket or bomb attacks targeted American interests in Iraq, including troops, the embassy or Iraqi supply convoys to foreign forces.

Two foreign contractors, one Iraqi contractor and eight Iraqi civilians were killed in the attacks.

Last month, an explosives-packed drone hit Iraq's Erbil airport in the first reported use of such a weapon against a base used by US-led coalition troops in the country.

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US delegation talks troops and relations in Iraq as attacks hit bases - The National

"The US is participating in the force generation process for NATO Mission Iraq and will contribute its fair share to this important expanded mission," Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica L. McNulty told CNN. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke about the mission with his NATO counterparts during a meeting with defense ministers on Thursday.

Late Thursday night, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby clarified that there are "no plans" to send more US troops into Iraq itself. However, US troops could also support the mission from outside the country, a defense official told CNN.

At a press conference Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the NATO mission would increase in size from 500 personnel to about 4,000.

"The US and its partners in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS remain committed to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS, and the Department looks forward to continued consultations with Iraq, NATO, and the Global Coalition going forward," McNulty added.

Austin "welcomed the expanded role" of the NATO mission in Iraq, according to a readout of the discussions provided by the Pentagon. He "expressed confidence that all of the work done to date with the Iraqi government and security forces will lead to a self-sustainable mission."

Stoltenberg stressed the importance of the NATO mission to prevent the resurgence of ISIS.

"Not so long ago, ISIS controlled territory as big as the United Kingdom and roughly 8 million people. They have lost that control," Stoltenberg said. "But, ISIS is still there. ISIS still operates in Iraq, and we need to make sure that they're not able to return. And we also see some increase in attacks by ISIS. And that just highlights the importance of strengthening the Iraqi forces."

The increase in NATO forces would be incremental and comes at the request of the Iraqi government, he added.

Trump's acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller touted the withdrawal of troops prior to Biden taking office as a sign of the mission's success, saying, "The drawdown of US force levels in Iraq is reflective of the increased capabilities of the Iraqi security forces. Our ability to reduce force levels is evidence of real progress."

In early February, Austin announced a global force posture review, in which military leaders would examine US troop levels around the world, including the "military footprint, resources, strategy and missions."

Austin stressed the importance of alliances and partnerships as part of the review.

"From Afghanistan and the Middle East, across Europe, Africa and our own hemisphere, to the wide expanse of the Western Pacific, the United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with allies old and new, partners big and small," Austin said. "Each of them brings to the mission unique skills, knowledge and capabilities. And each of them represents a relationship worth tending, preserving and respecting. We will do so."

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that no final decisions or recommendations have been made as part of the global force posture review.

This story has been updated with additional comment from Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

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US signals it is open to sending more troops to support ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) An explosion rocked a market in east Baghdad on Thursday, killing one person and injuring 12 others, according to Iraqs military.

The military said the blast in the capitals Sadr City, in the Habibiya neighborhood, was caused by a car laden with highly explosive materials that blew up while passing through a popular used furniture market. It sent a cloud of black smoke above the area. Shortly afterward, a crowd of people gathered around the mangled wreckage of a charred car and a burned-out white van. A fire engine was parked nearby.

A military statement said one person was killed and 12 injured, according to a preliminary investigation. Five vehicles were burned, it added. It did not say what caused the detonation.

The driver of the car was killed in the explosion, the statement said.

Iraqs president condemned the attack, calling it a shameless attempt by terrorist groups to destabilize the country during the holy month of Ramadan.

We stand firmly against these attempts, Barham Salih tweeted.

Explosions in the Iraqi capital, particularly in the predominantly Shiite Muslim Sadr City district, were once almost daily occurrences but have become less frequent in the past few years, particularly following the defeat of the Islamic State group in 2017. In January, twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital, killing more than 30 people and wounding dozens.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Thursdays bombing.

The development comes hours after a drone strike targeted US-led coalition troops near Irbil airport and a Turkish military base in northern Iraq.

Wednesday nights drone attack targeted coalition forces based near Irbil international airport and caused a fire that damaged a building, according to the Kurdish regions Interior Ministry and coalition officials.

Separately, a rocket attack targeting a Turkish military base in northern Iraqs Bashiqa region killed one Turkish soldier and wounded a child in a nearby village, Turkeys Defense Ministry said.

There was no claim of responsibility for either attack.

___

Associated Press writer Samya Kullab contributed reporting from Istanbul.

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1 killed, 12 wounded in market explosion in Iraq's capital - Associated Press

After exploring the Watergate scandal, the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and more, the podcast Slow Burn will offer a beat-by-beat accounting of the years leading up to the Iraq War when it returns for its fifth season, April 21st.

Reporter Noreen Malone helmed this investigation, which will examine how the Iraq War now widely considered a disaster was launched with tremendous support. The new trailer highlights interviews with people who remain staunch defenders of the invasion, as well as those who voiced early objections but didnt get very far with them. The clip also touches on the post-9/11 anthrax scare that helped fuel further support for the war and seems to nod toward the lies that surrounded Americas claims that Iraq was harboring weapons of mass destruction.

In an email interview with Rolling Stone, Malone said she wanted to explore the run-up to the Iraq War specifically because of how peculiar the vast support for the war looks in retrospect. She noted it wasnt just Republican politicians and commentators who were in favor of the war, but a wide array of respected journalists and others across the political spectrum.

This started as a bit of an investigation for me why exactly had they believed what they did? Malone said. What have we forgotten about that moment?What looks different now through the lens of recent history?

As for the repercussions of that 2001 to 2003 period (as opposed to the Iraq War as a whole), Malone said she was struck by how many people involved in the invasion were more sincere in their intentions than we tend to believe in hindsight. She continued, But I think that common perception of malintent actually speaks to what was broken in that time trust in government to tell the truth, and to get the facts right, and to act in the best interest of Americans and the world. Not to mention that the failure to properly plan out for a post-invasion Iraq didnt exactly make people think our government was capable of effective action on large-scale projects. That period of time also probably helped erode trust in the media, which largely failed to actually investigate claims from the government at the time. A lot of whats happened in our politics since can, unfortunately, be chalked up to that distrust.

Among the people Malone interviewed for Season Five of Slow Burn are former George W. Bush White House official Frank Miller (a special assistant to Bush, and Senior Director for Defense policy and Arms on the National Security Council staff), Senators Tom Daschle and Dick Durbin, journalists Dan Rather, Bill Kristol and Ann Curry, and intellectuals like Kanan Makiya, an Iraqi academic who was one of the leading voices in America advocating for the other throw of Saddam Hussein.

Slate

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Slow Burn Examines the Lead-Up to the Iraq War in Season Five Trailer - Rolling Stone

Iraqs government is trying to accelerate the process that lays out timetables for the withdrawal ofUS-led coalition troops, in an attempt to pull the rug from under Iran-backed paramilitaries and secure some modicum of calm before Octobers parliamentary elections.

For Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, an end to the relentless attacks on US targets in Iraq cannot come soon enough.

Wednesday night saw the latest attack on US forces, as a drone dropped explosives on a base hosting American troops, resulting in no reported casualties but stirring tumult nonetheless.

EXCLUSIVE: US agrees to staged withdrawal of forces from Iraq, says negotiator

The attacks, predominantly claimed by previously unknown Iraqi armed factions but widely believed to be carried out by powerful Iran-backed paramilitaries, are accompanied by demands US troops leave Iraq.

Last week, Iraq and the United States moved a step closer to that eventuality, announcing their agreement to withdraw US-led coalition forces according to timetables determined by joint technical military committees.

The Wednesday statement followed a third round of strategic dialogue between the two parties, and included an agreement to change the nature of the anti-Islamic State coalitions mission from combat to advisory and training.

By setting time limits for the withdrawal and having Washington publicly commit to abiding by them would relieve the huge pressure on Kadhimis government, giving him room to manoeuvre until a new parliament and government is sworn in.

Moves to speed up the process are beginning. Days before the Erbil attack, Kadhimi announced the formation of a technical military committee headed by the Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Abdul Amir Yarallah.

And on Saturday, the Iraqi negotiating team sought to follow up with the US ambassador and a number of officials in Baghdad over details related to the formation of the committees in an attempt to hurry things along, two Iraqi negotiators told Middle East Eye.

'The current US administration is aware of the reasons why we pressed them to expedite the formation of technical committees and start setting timelines'

- Iraqi negotiator

"The current US administration is aware of the reasons why we pressed them to expedite the formation of technical committees and start setting timelines," one of the members of the Iraqi negotiating team said.

According to the negotiator, Washington is keen to prove the credibility of last weeks statement.

The prime minister announced the formation of the Iraqi technical committee headed by Yarallah, and we are waiting for the American side to announce the formation of their committee and decide the president's representative to start the next stage of negotiations, he added.

"There will be a meeting of the Iraqi-American committees, perhaps this week or next week. It is likely that the meeting will be in Baghdad and it will be face to face, but if officials from Washington join the US committee, then the meetings will be conducted via video call."

The US negotiating team did not agree to withdraw combat forces and change the mission of these forces in Iraq for free.

Iraq must secure the protection of Western diplomatic missions and coalition forces as part of the agreement, Iraqi negotiators told MEE, in order to prove Baghdad can assure foreign officials security after the pullout.

In a meeting with the prime minister on Thursday outlining the outcomes of the US dialogue, the leaders of the most prominent Shia blocs showed Kadhimi "support and satisfaction", sources said.

Iraq: Paramilitaries feel the heat as Kadhimi steps up moves against them

Yet the picture that emerged from meetings on Friday and Saturday at the office of Hadi al-Ameri, head of the Iran-backed Fatah parliamentary bloc and Badr Organisation paramilitary force, was quite different.

There, Shia political leaders and armed factions commanders told MEE, talks including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataeb Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada resulted in a great division among Iran-backed groups.

Some at the meetings saw the Iraqi-US announcement as a step in the right direction and an achievement.

But others perceived it as a "deception that Kadhimi and the Americans agreed upon, with no concrete steps, no schedule for withdrawal and no real change in the coalitions status, said a prominent commander of an Iranian-backed armed faction familiar with the meetings.

Kataeb Hezbollah was the most hardline and rejected the outcomes of the Iraqi-American negotiations, then Asaib Ahl al-Haq comes second," the commander said.

"This means that the attacks will not stop. Even the Iranians cannot stop it this time. As long as the major factions continue to deny their connection to these attacks, no one has the ability to stop them.

"It is likely that the Iraqi arena will flare up again."

US forces and diplomatic missions have long been targets of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitaries.

But following the January 2020 US assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the godfather of most Shia armed factions, forcing the United States out of Iraq became one of the paramilitaries chief aims.

Since then, Iran's proxies have targeted US interests and Iraqi military bases hosting coalition forces with attacks that often kill Iraqis and damage governmental property.

An unofficial truce was reached between the US and the Iran-backed factions in October, when tensions reached a height and the Trump administration threatened to close its Baghdad embassy and attack Iranian targets inside and outside Iraq.

In recent weeks raids have intensified once more, however, targeting logistical support convoys of Iraqi and coalition forces across the country almost daily, this time in attacks claimed by groups no one had heard of.

These claims and the major factions continuing denial of responsibility has increased the complexity of the scene and swings open the door for the return of attacks on diplomatic missions and governmental institutions under the pretext of fighting occupying forces, Iraqi officials and armed factions commanders told MEE.

Last week, Kadhimi took the issue to the Iranians themselves.

The prime minister met Soleimanis successor Esmail Qaani during a two-day visit to Iraq, during which he unofficially provided sufficient information indicating the involvement of the prominent Iranian-backed armed factions in these attacks, political leaders and armed factions commanders told MEE.

In addition to Kadhimi, Qaani met with a number of Shia political leaders, including Ammar al-Hakim and Amiri, as well as commanders of the big armed factions and several senior clerics in Najaf.

'Kadhimidemanded an end to these attacks, but the problem that everyone became aware of and recognised is that Iran and the leadership of the Popular Mobilisation Forces lostcontrol over the armed factions'

- Shia political leader

"The meetings focused on the repercussions of the Iranian-American conflict and the need to continue the calm, stop any attacks targeting the coalition forces, and support the Iraqi government in its ongoing negotiations with the American side," a Shia political leader familiar with the meetings told MEE.

"The commanders of the [armed] factions continued to deny their responsibility for the attacks targeting the logistical support convoys, but Kadhimi provided information indicating the involvement of the known factions in these attacks, he added.

"Kadhimi spoke about the confessions of the perpetrators of some of these attacks who had been arrested. He demanded an end to these attacks, but the problem that everyone became aware of and recognised is that Iran and the leadership of the Popular Mobilisation Forces lost their control over the armed factions."

This week, those discussions are ongoing.

On Monday, Qasim al-Araji, the Iraqi national security adviser, flew to Tehran to meet his counterpart Ali Shamkhani, "in response to an official invitation from the Iranian side", to discuss "security issues of common interest and borders, and to enhance security and intelligence cooperation between the two countries," according to the statement issued by Araji's office.

Araji's meeting with Shamkhani was followed by another meeting with Mohammed Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, and Amir Hatami, the defence minister.

In south Iraq, political murders are dismissed as 'personal' to quash investigations

Araji, who led the truce negotiations between the Iraqi government and the Iranian-backed armed factions last month, had met the US ambassador in Baghdad prior to his visit to Tehran, his office said.

He also participated in the last Iraqi-American round of talks, and was one of its leaders, along with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Araji's frantic movement during the past few days clearly indicates that the Iraqi government is racing against time to achieve some goal.

"Kadhimi seeks to take advantage of the surrounding conditions as much as possible to restrain the factions and prepare the appropriate ground for the upcoming elections and attracting investment companies, a member of Kadhimis team told MEE.

The source said Tehran was showing a keenness to dial down tensions in all areas as it conducts negotiations with the US in Vienna over resuscitating the 2015 nuclear deal. Similarly, he noted, the Biden administration was proving much more flexible than its predecessor.

"Using Irans wishes and the flexibility shown by the United States to push the armed factions back several steps is Kadhimis top priority now, the source said.

"The Iranian-American negotiations have started, but they will not be short, and their results will not be tangible overnight, just as they are like any other negotiations that will involve a tug-of-war according to new developments. Therefore, this positive atmosphere may not recur again until months later, he added.

"Also, all signs indicate that some [armed] factions will seek to escalate, stir up trouble, and even move their masses to demonstrate against the government and ignite the street for one reason or another. Therefore, everyone seems to be in a race against time."

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