US and Iraqi officials meet to discuss security cooperation
Meeting held at the Pentagon
US and Iraqi officials have met at the Pentagon to discuss when and how the mission of the global coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq would end and transition in an orderly manner to an enduring bilateral security partnership, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated on July 22, 2024.
The Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue meetings continued on July 23 to build upon the Higher Military Commission’s (HMC) work, which grew from an April 2024 meeting between US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Washington.
Ryder said in a statement: “Our convening of this dialogue this week reflects both nations’ commitment to strengthen the bilateral security relationship based on the work of the HMC over the past several months and in recognition of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Global Coalition’s military mission in Iraq.”
The US delegation at the talks included participants from the US Central Command, the Joint Staff, the State Department, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, and the National Security Council. The Iraqi delegation included participants from Iraq’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, the Counterterrorism Service, and the Kurdish Peshmerga.
The Higher Military Commission has looked at the state of Islamic State’s operational capabilities, the capacity and the ability of Iraqi security forces to address the ISIS threat, Ryder said.
Ryder added that the Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue participants “took information and recommendations from the HMC and reviewed those this week with an eye toward the future of the coalition and the bilateral security cooperation between the US and Iraq.”
Ryder also said that US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III spoke twice with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over the weekend as Israel launched attacks on Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis attacked Tel Aviv, killed an Israeli civilian, and wounded others.
“During their discussion, Secretary Austin acknowledged Israel’s action followed months of Houthi attacks against the State of Israel, and he reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israeli security and right to self-defence,” Ryder said.
Featured image: The US-Iraqi meeting was held at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Credit: US Department of Defence
