Iraq condemns 'heinous' US airstrike against security forces

On 22 July, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad al-Abbasi led a delegation to Washington for meetings at the Pentagon to resume talks on the withdrawal of about 2,500 US combat troops that remain in Iraq.

US officials claim a US troop presence is still necessary to counter a threat from ISIS. But Sudani has stated that Iraqi forces no longer require US help to contain the terror group, which was largely defeated in Iraq and Syria in 2019.

“The justifications for the existence of the international coalition were to confront ISIS, and today, the organization does not represent a threat to the Iraqi state,” Sudani said in January.