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.
Fox News Poll: Maine Senate race is tight, with concerns about both candidates
House backs Massie’s push to release taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement records
California couple says moving company doubled their price and is now holding belongings ‘for ransom’: report
USPS worker arrested after alleged mass shooting threat against Texas Pride event, FBI says
AfD wants to end German boycott on Russian energy, says failed Ukraine invasion shows Kremlin is no threat
Beloved Star, Outspoken Christian Kelsey Grammer Mulling Run for Office
JD Vance Explains How Leftist Motto Is ‘a Disgusting Butchering of the Nicene Creed’
Five countries in Latin America have elected pro-Trump governments since his election
Bar complaint accuses Biden-appointed district judge of dishonesty during DOJ tenure
Lawmakers press Eli Lilly for China drug trials tied to military-linked hospitals
Dems join Republicans to crush Tlaib’s war powers resolution in lopsided House vote
Trump Floats Plan to ‘Reverse Birthright Citizenship’ in Spite of the Supreme Court
MKUltra hearing turns into intense grilling of NIH researcher about the origins of COVID-19
NPR Retracts Bombshell Story About Supreme Court Justice Retiring
Shock poll: Talarico ties Paxton in Texas Senate race, threatening GOP stronghold
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.
Fox News Poll: Maine Senate race is tight, with concerns about both candidates
House backs Massie’s push to release taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement records
California couple says moving company doubled their price and is now holding belongings ‘for ransom’: report
USPS worker arrested after alleged mass shooting threat against Texas Pride event, FBI says
AfD wants to end German boycott on Russian energy, says failed Ukraine invasion shows Kremlin is no threat
Beloved Star, Outspoken Christian Kelsey Grammer Mulling Run for Office
JD Vance Explains How Leftist Motto Is ‘a Disgusting Butchering of the Nicene Creed’
Five countries in Latin America have elected pro-Trump governments since his election
Bar complaint accuses Biden-appointed district judge of dishonesty during DOJ tenure
Lawmakers press Eli Lilly for China drug trials tied to military-linked hospitals
Dems join Republicans to crush Tlaib’s war powers resolution in lopsided House vote
Trump Floats Plan to ‘Reverse Birthright Citizenship’ in Spite of the Supreme Court
MKUltra hearing turns into intense grilling of NIH researcher about the origins of COVID-19
NPR Retracts Bombshell Story About Supreme Court Justice Retiring
Shock poll: Talarico ties Paxton in Texas Senate race, threatening GOP stronghold
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.
