Baghdad The Iraqi Military Technical Committee, headed by the Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Lieutenant-General Abdul-Amir Al-Shammari, held a meeting yesterday, Thursday, with its American counterpart, headed by the Commander of the Inherent Resolve Operations Forces in Iraq, Major General John Brennan.

The Joint Operations Command stated in a statement today, Friday: “The meeting was held within the framework of the technical security talks that were agreed upon in the Iraqi-American strategic dialogue and the plan to transition to a non-combat role for the international coalition forces operating in Iraq according to the outcomes of the meeting held on July 22, 2021.”

The leadership added: “The two parties agreed to reduce the combat units and American capabilities in the military bases in Ain Al-Assad and Erbil, to be completed by the end of the current month of September. The level of the leadership of the international coalition was also reduced from a headquarters led by a team officer to a smaller headquarters led by an officer with the rank of major general for administration purposes of support, equipment and exchange of intelligence and advice.

The two sides reiterated, according to the statement, that the presence of US forces and the international coalition forces is at the invitation of Iraq and depends on providing protection from the Iraqi government in accordance with international laws and norms and in accordance with Iraqi sovereignty.

The two sides also agreed to hold regular sessions to complete the discussion of the remaining steps to secure the transition to a non-combat role for the international coalition forces by the time specified at the end of this year.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency