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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 5 May 2017
Iraq, US in talks to keep American troop presence after IS
QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA security in the city and
BRADLEY KLAPPER oversee the transition to a
Associated Press political administration of
BAGHDAD (AP) — Prime Mosul, he said.
Minister Haider al-Abadi is The U.S. official empha-
in talks with the Trump ad- sized that there were no
ministration to keep Ameri- discussions of creating in-
can troops in Iraq after the dependent American bas-
fight against the Islamic es in Iraq, as such a move
State group in the country would require thousands
is concluded, according more personnel. He said
to a U.S. official and an of- the troops levels would be
ficial from the Iraqi govern- “several thousand ... simi-
ment. lar to what we have now,
Both officials underlined maybe a little more.”
that the discussions are on- Currently, the Pentagon
going and that nothing is has close to 7,000 U.S.
finalized. But the talks point troops in Iraq, many not
to a consensus by both publicly acknowledged
governments that, in con- because they are on tem-
trast to the U.S. withdrawal porary duty or under spe-
in 2011, a longer-term pres- cific personnel rules. The
ence of American troops U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division fire artillery in support of Iraqi forces fighting Islamic forces include troops train-
in Iraq is needed to ensure State militants from their base east of Mosul. The U.S. and Iraq are in talks to keeping American ing Iraqi forces, coordinat-
that an insurgency does troops in the country after the fight against the Islamic State group is concluded, according to a ing airstrikes and ground
not bubble up again once U.S. official and an official from the Iraqi government. operations, and special
the militants are driven out. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) forces operating on the
front lines.
“There is a general under- The news comes as Iraqi
standing on both sides that forces are struggling to
it would be in the long- push IS fighters out of a
term interests of each to cluster of neighborhoods
have that continued pres- in western Mosul that mark
ence. So as for agreement, the last patch of significant
yes, we both understand it urban terrain the group
would be mutually benefi- holds in Iraq, nearly three
cial. years after the militants
That we agree on,” the U.S. overran nearly a third of
official said. the country.
Both officials spoke on con- Such an agreement would
dition of anonymity in line underscore how the fight
with regulations. against IS has drawn the
The talks involve U.S. Sec- U.S. into a deepening role
retary of Defense Jim Mat- in Iraq.
tis and Iraqi officials over At the height of the surge
“what the long-term U.S. of U.S. forces in 2007 to
presence would look like,” combat sectarian violence
the American official said, that nearly tore Iraq apart,
adding that discussions there were about 170,000
were in early stages and American troops in the
“nothing has been final- country. The numbers were
ized.” wound down eventually
U.S. forces in Iraq would to 40,000 before the com-
be stationed inside exist- plete withdrawal in 2011.
ing Iraqi bases in at least The U.S. intervention
five locations in the Mo- against the Islamic State
sul area and along Iraq’s group, launched in 2014,
border with Syria, the Iraqi was originally cast as an
government official said. operation that would
They would continue to be largely be fought from the
designated as advisers to skies with a minimal foot-
dodge the need for parlia- print on Iraqi soil. Neverthe-
mentary approval for their less, that footprint has since
presence, he said. grown given Iraqi forces’
He said al-Abadi is looking need for support.
to install a “modest” Iraqi During a visit to Iraq in Feb-
military presence in Mosul ruary, Mattis and Lt. Gen.
after the fight against the Stephen Townsend, the
Islamic State group is con- top U.S. commander in
cluded along with a small Iraq, described an endur-
number of U.S. forces. The ing partnership between
forces would help control the U.S. and Iraq.q
