Yahya Rasool, a military spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Kazimi, said in a written statement that US combat forces have begun to withdraw from the country.
Rasool stressed that the withdrawal process is expected to be completed before December 31.
The statement stressed that the withdrawal process is being carried out according to the plan drawn up by the Joint Operations Command of the Iraqi Defense Ministry and the forces of the International Coalition.
The United States and Iraq agreed that there would be no American troops or foreign military bases in the country, as stated in the April 7 release of the US State Department. The parties also decided that the United States would withdraw most of its military from Iraq, and only Iraqi troops would fight against the IS group.
“The parties agreed that there should be no military bases in Iraq,” said Qasem al-Aaraj, the adviser to the Prime Minister of Iraq for national security, at a press conference following the third round of the strategic dialogue.
At the same time, Iraq emphasized that it would protect foreign specialists on the territory of the country.
Earlier on April 2, US President Joe Biden instructed the Pentagon to begin withdrawing some of the American forces and weapons from the Persian Gulf zone; it is planned to reduce Washington’s military presence in the Middle East.
Former US President Donald Trump had announced plans to reduce the American military presence in the Middle East in the fall of 2020. In particular, it was said that about two thousand soldiers would be withdrawn from Iraq.