TheAPInterview: The top U.S. commander for the Middle East says the U.S. will keep 2,500 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future, despite a shift to a non-combat role.
Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said in an interview with The Associated Press at the Pentagon that despite the shift by U.S. forces to a non-combat role in Iraq, they will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State.
“We’ve drawn down from bases we didn’t need, we’ve made it harder to get at us. But the Iraqis still want us to be there. They still want the presence, they still want the engagement,” said McKenzie. “So as long as they want it, and we can mutually agree that’s the case — we’re going to be there.” The U.S. presence in Iraq has long been a flash point for Tehran, but tensions spiked after a January 2020 U.S. drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed a top Iranian general. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at al-Asad airbase, where U.S. troops were stationed. More than 100 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the blasts.
McKenzie, who has headed U.S. Central Command for nearly three years and traveled extensively throughout the region, painted a picture that reflected the recent upheaval in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops departed at the end of August.since U.S. forces left and that the ruling Taliban leaders are divided about their 2020 pledge to break ties with the group. He said the departure of the U.
Iran, he said, believes that campaign won’t affect the nuclear negotiations that were long stalled but are now restarting. But, he said, “I think it’s a dangerous position for the Iranians to maintain, because I think they’re not going to be able to decouple those two things.” More broadly, McKenzie noted that the U.S. troop presence across the Middle East has significantly dropped since last year, when it peaked amid tensions with Iran, at as much as 80,000. The U.S. has identified China and Russia as the top national security threats, labeling China as America’s “pacing challenge,” and has looked to focus more effort and assets in the Pacific.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pearl Harbor survivors gather on 80th anniversary of attack | AP NewsAbout 30 Pearl Harbor survivors and 100 other World War II veterans gathered at the site of the bombing to remember more than 2,300 U.S. troops killed 80 years ago. They observed a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same minute the attack began.
Read more »
Olaf Scholz voted in to replace Merkel as Germany's leader | AP NewsBERLIN (AP) — Germany’s parliament elected Olaf Scholz as the country’s ninth post-World War II chancellor on Wednesday, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure.
Read more »
Women seek diverse paths to leadership in Islamic spaces | AP NewsCAIRO (AP) — Shortly after Kholoud al-Faqeeh was appointed judge in an Islamic religious court in the Palestinian territories, a woman walked in, laid eyes on her and turned around and walked out, murmuring that she didn’t want a woman to rule in her case.
Read more »
Barred from priesthood, some Catholic women find other roles | AP NewsROME (AP) — Women aspiring to leadership in the Catholic church have long come to terms with the glass ceiling that exists in the male-dominated institution, but Pope Francis’ spate of female appointments in the Vatican hierarchy suggests that change, however modest, is underway.
Read more »
Hundreds of LA-area cases imperiled by police officer texts | AP NewsAn investigation by the Los Angeles Times has found that hundreds of Southern California criminal cases could be jeopardized after police officers exchanged racist and homophobic text messages. The state attorney general has begun an independent probe.
Read more »
US orders arms embargo on Cambodia, cites Chinese influence | AP NewsBANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. has ordered an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing deepening Chinese military influence, corruption and human rights abuses by the government and armed forces in the Southeast Asian country.
Read more »