The military is expected to pull its forces from Iraq by the end of September, officials said. U.S. military presence began in 2003.
Following Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s meeting with U.S. Central Command head Adm. Brad Cooper, he declared September 30 to be the “fixed and final date for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces,” the Associated Press reports.
“The United States, Iraq and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq,” the official said.
President Trump met with al-Zaidi last month, where he declared that oil deals are in the works.
“They have tremendous oil reserves. They have tremendous potential wealth, and they have tremendous wealth, not only potential,” he said. “We’re going to have a long-term relationship with a man that will be a great leader. You mark my words. I knew what I was doing.”
“Because of their oil, and we’re going to be doing a lot of deals,” Trump said, adding, “We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil.”
Detailing possible oil deals with Iraq, President Trump further explained, “The oil companies are all going in now and they’re doing partnerships with Iraq, and they’re getting along very well. The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don’t need the military there…We’re there to protect them if need be, but we don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
