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.
Alan Greenspan dies at age 100
Attacks Against Christians Rise in Major European Country
District court judges weighing Trump policies face repeated slap downs by appeals courts
Pence says Iran agreement ‘smacks of the kind of appeasement’ Trump rejected in prior term
Supreme Court Allows Gun Ruling Favoring Letitia James to Stand
Obama Center isn’t a traditional presidential library. Critics say it’s an activism center.
New York races to watch: Which battles could shape the Democratic Party’s future?
NYPD cop shoots suspect attempting to flee in stolen vehicle, officials say
Georgia pair charged with murder after bartender’s dismembered remains found in lake outside Atlanta
Southwest jet struck by ground equipment vehicle at Memphis airport
Second Amendment Groups Target Purple State’s Decades-Long ‘Permission Slip’ Scheme With New Lawsuit
Artificial Intelligence May Change American Healthcare Forever, Study Suggests
Judge Demands Public See the Truth About Karmelo Anthony, Orders Release of Footage Surrounding Murder
Concertgoer dies after apparent fall from upper level at Madison Square Garden
‘The Era of Deportations Has Begun’: European Parliament Passes Toughest Immigration Policy in Decades
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.
Alan Greenspan dies at age 100
Attacks Against Christians Rise in Major European Country
District court judges weighing Trump policies face repeated slap downs by appeals courts
Pence says Iran agreement ‘smacks of the kind of appeasement’ Trump rejected in prior term
Supreme Court Allows Gun Ruling Favoring Letitia James to Stand
Obama Center isn’t a traditional presidential library. Critics say it’s an activism center.
New York races to watch: Which battles could shape the Democratic Party’s future?
NYPD cop shoots suspect attempting to flee in stolen vehicle, officials say
Georgia pair charged with murder after bartender’s dismembered remains found in lake outside Atlanta
Southwest jet struck by ground equipment vehicle at Memphis airport
Second Amendment Groups Target Purple State’s Decades-Long ‘Permission Slip’ Scheme With New Lawsuit
Artificial Intelligence May Change American Healthcare Forever, Study Suggests
Judge Demands Public See the Truth About Karmelo Anthony, Orders Release of Footage Surrounding Murder
Concertgoer dies after apparent fall from upper level at Madison Square Garden
‘The Era of Deportations Has Begun’: European Parliament Passes Toughest Immigration Policy in Decades
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.
