US President Donald Trump meets with Iraqi President, agree not to remove US troops

Trump meets Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih, agrees not to remove US troops

Trump meets Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih, agrees not to remove US troops

Davos … News Time

Following the meeting of US President Donald Trump and his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih, the White House has said that the two leaders have agreed to continue the US military role in Iraq. The two leaders met at the 50th Annual Meeting of the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It is to be noted that the first meeting of the two heads was after the January 5 drone strike of Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Qadis in Baghdad. According to news agency AFP, the White House said the two leaders emphasized the importance of continuing economic and security partnerships, including the war against ISIS. The White House statement said that US President Donald Trump reaffirmed America’s unwavering commitment to a sovereign, stable and prosperous Iraq.

On the other hand, sources from the Iraqi president’s office said that Barham Salih also discussed the withdrawal of forces with Donald Trump after the US drone strike. Sources said that Trump told the Iraqi president that he did not want to stay in Iraq and would unilaterally withdraw the forces, but that the withdrawal would be an insult to Washington. In addition, the Iraqi president told world leaders in Davos that the parliamentary vote was not “a sign of ungratefulness or enmity” but rather a response to his country’s sovereignty. “It is not in our interest to unite others at the expense of others, while both sides respect our sovereignty and independence,” he said. The Iraqi president added that Iraq did not need guidance on the nature of relations.

It is to be clear Iran fired 15 ballistic missiles at two military bases in the US and its allied forces in Iraq in response to the death of Quds Force chief General Qasem Soleimani. Iran claimed to have killed 80 American terrorists in the missile attack, but the US rejected Tehran’s claim. Earlier, an American contractor was killed in a rocket attack in northern Iraq last December. In response, US airstrikes killed 25 members of Iran-backed fighters.

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