{"id":2344022,"date":"2024-09-20T15:50:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T19:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-expected-to-announce-military-drawdown-in-iraq-while-isis-missions-continue-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-20T15:50:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T19:50:26","slug":"us-expected-to-announce-military-drawdown-in-iraq-while-isis-missions-continue-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-expected-to-announce-military-drawdown-in-iraq-while-isis-missions-continue-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"US expected to announce military drawdown in Iraq while ISIS missions continue &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-expected-to-announce-military-drawdown-in-iraq-while-isis-missions-continue-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344022&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. government is \u200danticipated to announce a military drawdown in Iraq, as confirmed by two administration officials. \u2063This\u200b follows\u200d months of negotiations between the Pentagon and Iraqi \u200dleaders, with expectations of a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by\u200d the end of 2026. Despite ISIS losing its territorial hold, U.S. officials\u2062 acknowledge that the group remains a threat. \u200dA senior Defense Department official stated \u2063that while ISIS has been significantly defeated, it is &#8220;down,\u2062 but they&#8217;re never quite out.&#8221;\u2064 The formal announcement is expected \u2063after \u2064upcoming \u2064meetings at the United Nations General Assembly and a \u200dscheduled ministerial on September 30. \u2062Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed \u200cShia al Sudani has indicated that\u2063 the reasons \u200bfor a large U.S. military presence in Iraq \u200dare no longer valid, suggesting a transition from a focus on war to one\u200c on stability.\u200b U.S. forces continue to conduct joint operations against\u2063 ISIS in Iraq and Syria.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">US expected to announce military drawdown in Iraq while ISIS missions continue<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1696129\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. government is expected to announce a troop reduction in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iraq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Iraq<\/a> shortly, two administration officials said on Friday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Negotiations between the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pentagon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Pentagon<\/a> and Iraqi leaders have gone on for several months, which Iraqi officials have indicated would lead to the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2024\/09\/12\/us-troops-iraq-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2026<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>September 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the global coalition to defeat the Islamic State. Administration officials reiterated that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/isis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ISIS<\/a> still poses a threat, even though it does not have the territory it had back then.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;ISIS has definitely been severely defeated, certainly territorially defeated, and we want to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, but the threat does remain,&rdquo; a senior Defense Department official said. <\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-putin-call-yields-no-fundamental-change-in-russia-ukraine-situation\/\" title=\"Biden-Putin Call Yields \u2018No Fundamental Change\u2019 In Russia-Ukraine Situation\">senior <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vp-harries-meets-allies-in-poland-and-romania-awkwardness-ensues\/\" title=\"VP Harries Meets Allies in Poland and Romania, Awkwardness Ensues\">administration official added<\/a><\/a>, &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s fair to say we&rsquo;ve had great success in territorially defeating ISIS in the core regions of Iraq and Syria. However, we are all very mindful that ISIS &hellip; is down, but they&rsquo;re never quite out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The announcement is expected to take place after U.S. and Iraqi officials meet again at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York next week. There is also a ministerial between the two scheduled for Sept. 30.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. officials described the change as an &ldquo;evolution&rdquo; of the &ldquo;Defeat ISIS&rdquo; mission. The administration official added, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re talking about an evolution of the coalition mission, ultimately the ending of the coalition military mission in Iraq.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2024-09-17\/isis-defeat-means-us-troops-no-longer-needed-in-iraq-says-pm-al-sudani\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> earlier this week that &ldquo;the justifications are no longer there&rdquo; for a large U.S. presence. &ldquo;There is no need for a coalition. We have moved on from wars to stability. ISIS is not really representing a challenge.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>U.S. forces carry out joint missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria with their partners in both countries. In late August, U.S. Central Command and Iraqi Security Forces carried out a raid in western Iraq that resulted in the deaths of 14 ISIS fighters, including four people described as leaders, while seven U.S. troops were injured in the mission.<\/p>\n<p>One of those leaders killed in the operation was Abu-&lsquo;Ali al Tunisi, whom the State Department had a $5 million reward for information leading to his identification or location. The Rewards for Justice Program described him as &ldquo;the leader of manufacturing for ISIS in Iraq&rdquo; and said he had &ldquo;conducted training for ISIS members, including instruction on how to make explosives, suicide vests, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/three-whitmer-plot-suspects-now-face-weapon-of-mass-destruction-charges\/\" title=\"Three Whitmer Plot Suspects Now Face Weapon Of Mass Destruction Charges\">improvised explosive devices<\/a> (IEDs).&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>ISIS in Iraq and Syria is also expected to double the number of attacks it carries out this year compared to last, CENTCOM announced over the summer. As of mid-July, 153&nbsp;ISIS&nbsp;attacks had been tracked in 2024, though nonmilitary experts noted that part of its strategy is not to take credit for operations, indicating the number is likely even higher.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. forces and their partners conducted nearly 200 ISIS missions, CENTCOM said at the time, adding that operations resulted in the deaths of 44&nbsp;ISIS&nbsp;operatives and the apprehension of 166 others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1696129\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1696129\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. government is anticipated to soon announce a reduction of troops in Iraq, according to two administration officials on Friday. Ongoing discussions between the Pentagon and Iraqi leaders have been taking place for several months, with Iraqi officials suggesting that this could result in the full withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of 2026. September 2024 will mark a decade since the formation of the global coalition aimed at defeating ISIS. Officials from the administration emphasized that while ISIS has lost its territorial control, it still remains a threat. A senior Defense Department official stated, \u201cISIS has certainly been significantly defeated in terms of territory, but we want to ensure its lasting defeat as the threat persists.\u201d Another senior official remarked on the success achieved against ISIS in Iraq and Syria but cautioned that while they are weakened, they are not completely eliminated.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement regarding troop reductions is expected after upcoming meetings between U.S. and Iraqi officials at next week\u2019s United Nations General Assembly in New York, followed by a ministerial meeting scheduled for September 30th. U.S. officials characterized this change as an &#8220;evolution&#8221; of their mission against ISIS and indicated it would lead to concluding military operations within Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani mentioned earlier this week that there is no longer justification for a significant U.S. presence: \u201cThere is no need for a coalition; we have transitioned from warfare to stability,\u201d he stated, asserting that ISIS does not pose a substantial challenge anymore.<\/p>\n<p>U.S forces continue joint operations against ISIS alongside their partners in both Iraq and Syria; recently conducting an operation in western Iraq resulted in 14 deaths among ISIS fighters\u2014including four leaders\u2014and injuries to seven American troops involved.<\/p>\n<p>One notable figure killed was Abu-&#8216;Ali al Tunisi, who had a $5 million bounty on his head from the State Department due to his role as an explosives manufacturing leader for ISIS and his training activities related to bomb-making techniques.<\/p>\n<p>According to CENTCOM&#8217;s summer report, attacks by ISIS are projected to double this year compared with last year; tracking showed 153 attacks attributed to them by mid-July 2024\u2014though experts suggest actual numbers may be higher since part of their strategy involves not claiming responsibility for many operations. In response, U.S forces conducted nearly 200 missions targeting ISIS during which they killed 44 operatives and captured another 166 individuals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2344023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/isis.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[14697,17259,3937,4505,9029],"class_list":["post-2344022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-drawdown","tag-iraq","tag-isis","tag-military","tag-us"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/isis.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}