US Mideast military chief: Attacks by Iran-backed militias ‘may provoke a response’
Title : US Mideast military chief: Attacks by Iran-backed militias ‘may provoke a response’
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The top US commander for the Middle East said Thursday that the United States will keep the current 2,500 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future, and he warned that he expects increasing attacks on US and Iraqi personnel by Iranian-backed militias determined to get American forces out.Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said in an interview with The Associated Press at the Pentagon that despite the shift by US forces to a non-combat role in Iraq, they will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State.
Noting that Iranian-backed militias want all Western forces out of Iraq, he said an ongoing uptick in violence may continue through December.
“They actually want all US forces to leave, and all US forces are not going to leave,” he said, adding that as a result, “that may provoke a response as we get later into the end of the month.”
The Iraqi government earlier Thursday announced the conclusion of talks on ending the US combat mission against IS. US forces have been largely in an advisory role for some time, so the announced transition changes little. The announcement reflects a July decision by the Biden administration to end the US combat mission in Iraq by Dec. 31. READ MORE
US Mideast military chief: Attacks by Iran-backed militias ‘may provoke a response’
US Mideast military chief: Attacks by Iran-backed militias ‘may provoke a response’
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