Update # 1 — 4:09 P.M.: Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday disputed a letter indicating the U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS will leave Iraq, stating there is “no decision whatsoever to leave” the country.
Update # 2 — 4:34 P.M.: Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the letter is a “mistake” and a “poorly” worded draft. He added it was being worked on with Iraq and reiterated that U.S. troops will remain in the country.
Parents’ relentless hunt for missing daughter heats up as new tech breathes life into case
Pentagon Contractor Indicted for Leaking Classified Info to the Washington Post
Trump warns Canada of 100% tariffs if it becomes China’s ‘drop off port’ with new potential trade deal
Legal Analyst: There Are Still Several Ways Pam Bondi Can Charge Don Lemon for His Conduct
Campus Radicals: Union member tell-all, Dems back to DEI ways, more violent leftist threats on campus
Trump takes aim at Senate ‘blue slip’ tradition as GOP resists change
The Tide Has Turned on DEI in Nearly Every Major Institution, But Teachers and Educators Refuse to Ditch It
Hawaii RNC members pay their way to represent state: ‘It’s not a cheap hobby’
Cruz back in Texas after photo of him boarding plane sparks backlash ahead of winter storm
‘I Went to Princeton and Harvard!’: Michelle Obama Complains About Being Known as ‘Barack Obama’s Wife’
Johnson warns House Republicans to ‘stay healthy’ as GOP majority shrinks to the edge
Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao says personnel discharged over vaccine mandate were ‘failed’
Pentagon plans to give South Korea primary role in deterring North Korea threats under new strategy
Minnesota ‘on the clock’ as HHS threatens penalties over childcare fraud scandal
Man who allegedly threatened to shoot ICE agents had rifles, body armor and ammo cache, feds say
MORE BREAKING: @thejointstaff Gen. Milley came back to brief us again after looking at the letter. "It was a mistake," he said. Milley said it was a draft, poorly worded, and had not been signed. It was being worked w/ Iraqis. Bottom Line: US troops ARE NOT leaving, he said. https://t.co/L6wGYiVIkv
— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) January 6, 2020
The U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS said it will withdraw from Iraq and reposit its troops in the near future, according to a letter examined by Reuters on Monday.
“Sir, in deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, CJTF-OIR will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement,” wrote U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General William H. Seely, who leads up the Task Force Iraq, to the Iraqi defence ministry’s Combined Joint Operations Baghdad.
“We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure,” the letter added.
Reuters said it independently confirmed the letter with an Iraqi military source.
Parents’ relentless hunt for missing daughter heats up as new tech breathes life into case
Pentagon Contractor Indicted for Leaking Classified Info to the Washington Post
Trump warns Canada of 100% tariffs if it becomes China’s ‘drop off port’ with new potential trade deal
Legal Analyst: There Are Still Several Ways Pam Bondi Can Charge Don Lemon for His Conduct
Campus Radicals: Union member tell-all, Dems back to DEI ways, more violent leftist threats on campus
Trump takes aim at Senate ‘blue slip’ tradition as GOP resists change
The Tide Has Turned on DEI in Nearly Every Major Institution, But Teachers and Educators Refuse to Ditch It
Hawaii RNC members pay their way to represent state: ‘It’s not a cheap hobby’
Cruz back in Texas after photo of him boarding plane sparks backlash ahead of winter storm
‘I Went to Princeton and Harvard!’: Michelle Obama Complains About Being Known as ‘Barack Obama’s Wife’
Johnson warns House Republicans to ‘stay healthy’ as GOP majority shrinks to the edge
Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao says personnel discharged over vaccine mandate were ‘failed’
Pentagon plans to give South Korea primary role in deterring North Korea threats under new strategy
Minnesota ‘on the clock’ as HHS threatens penalties over childcare fraud scandal
Man who allegedly threatened to shoot ICE agents had rifles, body armor and ammo cache, feds say
Iraqi lawmakers voted Sunday in favor of a resolution that calls for ending foreign military presence in the country. The resolution’s main aim is to get the U.S. to withdraw some 5,000 U.S. troops present in different parts of Iraq.
The vote comes two days after a U.S. airstrike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani inside Iraq.
The Iraqi resolution specifically calls for ending an agreement in which Washington sent troops to Iraq more than four years ago to help in the fight against the Islamic State group.
The resolution was backed by most Shiite members of parliament, who hold a majority of seats.
Many Sunni and Kurdish legislators did not show up for the session, apparently because they oppose abolishing the deal.
“The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the international coalition fighting Islamic State due to the end of military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory,” read the measure. “The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason.”
Story cited here.
