US plans to maintain military presence in Iraq to put pressure on Iran: Former diplomat
The Biden administration will maintain a military presence in Iraq to pressure Iran and control oil reserves after the withdrawal of US combat troops.
Former diplomat and UN advisor said these things in a conversation with Sputnik. Earlier on Monday, Joe Biden told Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House that the US war mission in Iraq would be finished by the end of this year. However, a portion of the soldiers will remain to play the role of assistant to counter the banned terrorist group Islamic State.
Peter Ford, the former UK ambassador to Syria, said it appears the Biden administration is planning to implement in Iraq the same method it uses in northeastern Syria. “The US-backed proxy force in Syria is the Kurdish-controlled Syrian Democratic Forces, and in Iraq it is the National Army,” he said.
