Iraq and the U.S. are in talks to keep American troop presence after Islamic State fight ends
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Reporting from BAGHDAD — A U.S. and an Iraqi government official say Prime Minister Haider Abadi is in talks with the Trump administration to keep American troops in Iraq after the fight against Islamic State in the country is concluded.
The officials emphasize the discussions are ongoing. But the talks point to a consensus by both governments that, in contrast to the U.S. withdrawal in 2011, a longer-term presence of American troops in Iraq is needed to ensure the country’s security.
Both officials spoke this week to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Iraqi forces are struggling to push Islamic State fighters out of a cluster of neighborhoods in the western part of Mosul that mark the last patch of significant urban terrain the group holds in the country.
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