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.
Viewers Beg for Cancellation of MTV Video Music Awards After Chaos, Incompetence, and Gross Madonna Ruin Already Vile Awards Show
Homeless Man Arrested in Brutal Murder of a 63-Year-Old Woman in Central Park
Sweden’s left-wing coalition fails to form government, opening possibility for right wing to stay in charge
Reporter’s Notebook: Senate Republicans scrap early exit from Washington as midterm stakes soar
Blue city funds immigrant activist program with taxpayer dollars, critics say it ‘shuts citizens out’
AOC gives major hint about 2028 as Democrat civil war looms
Walz’s ‘exit interview’ reflecting on his tenure sparks lawmaker debate about his legacy: ‘Never serious’
Former Climate Reporter: My Industry Protected the Climate Change Narrative By Killing Positive News Stories
Degeneracy: School Protected Teacher Taking Sexual Pics of 10-Year-Olds Because He Is Gay and ‘Bats for the Other Team,’ Court Docs Say
Government-Owned Capitalism: Brilliant Strategy or Socialist Disaster?
Key Alaska Senate Race Comes Down to One Issue: Fish
AOC’s Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant
Lindsay Clancy holdout juror’s lawyer challenges claim he broke the law and more top headlines
Trump’s novel legal strategy pummels alleged ‘narco-terrorists’ and cartel members
Sen Kennedy says no living politicians should have buildings named after them after Trump’s moves
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.
Viewers Beg for Cancellation of MTV Video Music Awards After Chaos, Incompetence, and Gross Madonna Ruin Already Vile Awards Show
Homeless Man Arrested in Brutal Murder of a 63-Year-Old Woman in Central Park
Sweden’s left-wing coalition fails to form government, opening possibility for right wing to stay in charge
Reporter’s Notebook: Senate Republicans scrap early exit from Washington as midterm stakes soar
Blue city funds immigrant activist program with taxpayer dollars, critics say it ‘shuts citizens out’
AOC gives major hint about 2028 as Democrat civil war looms
Walz’s ‘exit interview’ reflecting on his tenure sparks lawmaker debate about his legacy: ‘Never serious’
Former Climate Reporter: My Industry Protected the Climate Change Narrative By Killing Positive News Stories
Degeneracy: School Protected Teacher Taking Sexual Pics of 10-Year-Olds Because He Is Gay and ‘Bats for the Other Team,’ Court Docs Say
Government-Owned Capitalism: Brilliant Strategy or Socialist Disaster?
Key Alaska Senate Race Comes Down to One Issue: Fish
AOC’s Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant
Lindsay Clancy holdout juror’s lawyer challenges claim he broke the law and more top headlines
Trump’s novel legal strategy pummels alleged ‘narco-terrorists’ and cartel members
Sen Kennedy says no living politicians should have buildings named after them after Trump’s moves
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.
