Trump hosts Iraqi PM at White House for talks on Iran, Islamic State

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump and the prime minister of Iraq meet today to discuss ways to confront Iranian aggression in the region, threats from Islamic State sleeper cells and the president’s desire to shrink the US military’s footprint in the country.

There are more than 5,000 American troops in Iraq now. Last month, the top US general for the Middle East said he believed the US will keep a smaller but enduring presence in the country. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, said after he met with Iraq’s new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, that he believes the Iraqis welcome the US and coalition troops, especially in the ongoing fight to keep IS fighters from taking hold of the country again.

McKenzie would not say how many US troops might stay. But he said Iraqi conventional forces now operate on their own. US and coalition forces continue to conduct training and counterterrorism operations, including with Iraqi commandos. Any final decisions, he said, would be coordinated with the Iraqi government.

Al-Kadhimi, who is backed by the United States, assumed office in May when Baghdad’s relations with Washington were precarious, following the US killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at the Baghdad airport.

Al-Kadhimi has often had to walk a tightrope due to the US-Iran rivalry. Asked if he was bringing any messages from Tehran following a recent visit there, al-Kadhimi told The Associated Press before he left for Washington: “We do not play the role of postman in Iraq.”

The US recognizes the cultural and religious ties that exist between Iran and Iraq, but the administration wants to decrease Iran’s destabilizing influence, often exercised by pro-Iranian militias, on the political and security establishments in Iraq.

— AP