President Trump
Donald John TrumpThe Memo: Obama goes into battle, impoverishes Trump Harris’ duty to fight for the country’s ideals in accepting VP nomination. Pelosi paints Trump and McConnell as twin barriers to more progress on Thursday reiterated its plan to “briefly” withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq during a meeting with the province’s new prime minister.
‘We were there, and now we’re coming out. We will leave soon, “Trump told reporters at the White House.
“We have pulled our troops out of Iraq fairly quickly, and we look forward to the day we do not have to be there.”
Trump – who met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi as part of a larger discussion on paths to strong pro-Iran militias in the nation and against threats from Islamic State fighters – would not provide a timeline for a full-fledged withdrawal.
Impressed on a schedule, Trump shot out to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Michael (Mike) Richard PompeoOvernight Defense: Trump announces ‘snapback’ of sanctions on Iran | Uniform staff at Dem Convention under investigation | Netanyahu calls reported F-35 deal ‘false news’ Trump announces ‘snapback’ of sanctions on Iran Major power competition and global supply chains MORE, who said that American troops “will leave as soon as we can complete the mission.”
‘The president has made it very clear that he wants to bring our forces to the lowest level as soon as possible. That is the mission he has given us, and we are working with Iraqis to achieve that, “Pompeo said.
The US first invaded Iraq in 2003, and left in 2011, but returned in 2014 to help stem the rise of the Islamic State. Today, there are about 5,200 U.S. troops in the country to train Iraqi troops and carry out missions against terrorism.
Trump’s remarks appear to be at odds with those of the top US general in the Middle East, who last month predicted that a small number of US troops would remain in Iraq in the foreseeable future.
“I believe they will move forward so that we will be with them,” said Navy General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, last month after meeting with al-Kadhimi.
McKenzie reiterated that sentiment last week, telling attendees at a U.S. Institute of Peace event that although the United States wants to shrink its troop footprint, “I just do not know when that will happen.”
The topic is unlikely to be covered on al-Kadhimi’s first trip to Washington this week, as senior Trump administration officials told reporters Wednesday that timelines for troop withdrawals will not be discussed in talks with the president.
.
