U.S. to end combat mission in Iraq by end of year, Biden announces in meeting with Iraqi prime minis
Source: USA Today
By Michael Collins and Maureen Groppe
WASHINGTON – The U.S. will end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year, President Joe Biden confirmed Monday in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
"We’re not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat zone," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office.
Biden said U.S. troops would continue to train and assist Iraqi forces as they continue to battle the Islamic State, or ISIS.
The U.S. still has about 2,500 troops in Iraq after a series of draw-downs in recent years. Their assignments include counter-terrorism operations and training Iraqi security forces. America's military presence in Iraq became a flashpoint between the two allies after the Trump administration in 2020 targeted a top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/07/26/biden-meet-iraqi-prime-minister-amid-troop-redeployment-talks/8075835002/
FULL title: U.S. to end combat mission in Iraq by end of year, Biden announces in meeting with Iraqi prime minister
