U.S. signals it is open to withdrawing some troops from Iraq

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signaled on Thursday an openness to reducing the U.S. military presence in Iraq, saying meetings set to begin soon between leaders from the two countries will enable a “transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership” that builds on years of joint operations against the Islamic State.

Austin, in a statement released by the Pentagon, said that U.S. troops remain in Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad.

Forthcoming meetings of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, a group including officials from both governments, will look at the presence of U.S. forces in the country while considering the threat the militants pose, requirements that remain, and the Iraqi military’s capabilities, Austin added.

U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 151 times since October by militant groups trained and supplied by Iran. Pentagon officials have stressed that about 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Iraq and 900 are deployed to Syria as a buffer to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State, but Iraqi officials have increasingly expressed alarm amid a cycle of violence in which U.S. troops come under fire and occasionally respond with airstrikes.

Iraqi officials, in a statement, acknowledged the beginning of the meetings but left it unclear whether they will ask for the Pentagon to leave.

The statement, released by the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that “in line with the growing capabilities of the Iraqi forces,” the Iraqi government is announcing “the success of continuous negotiations” about future steps that began in August.

The meetings of the commission are aimed at formulating “a specific and clear timeline determining the duration of the presence of the international coalition advisors in Iraq, initiating a gradual and thoughtful reduction of their presence on Iraqi soil, concluding the military mission against ISIS, and transitioning to comprehensive bilateral relations with coalition countries in politics, economics, culture, security, and military affairs, aligning with the vision of the Iraqi government.”

The Iraqi parliament has voted to eject U.S. military forces from the country. But U.S. officials have said that no formal notification to do so has occurred.