Pentagon says it does not plan US withdrawal from Iraq

(Patria) - The Pentagon has stated that it currently does not plan to withdraw its approximately 2,500 troops from Iraq, despite Baghdad's announcement last week that it would begin the process of removing the US-led military coalition from the country, Reuters reported.

"I am currently not aware of any plans. We remain very focused on the defeat of ISIS," said Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder at a briefing, using the acronym for the Islamic State. He added that US forces are in Iraq at the invitation of its government.

Ryder also said he was not aware of any notification from Baghdad to the Defense Department regarding a decision to remove US troops and referred journalists to the State Department for any diplomatic discussions on the matter.

The office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced steps on Friday to expel US forces following a US drone strike in Baghdad that was condemned by the government. The Pentagon said the strike killed a militia leader responsible for recent attacks on US personnel.

Al-Sudani's office issued a statement saying a committee would be formed to "permanently end the presence of international coalition forces in Iraq."

"We emphasize our firm position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ceased," al-Sudani said in the statement.

The US has 900 troops in Syria alongside its forces in Iraq on a mission it says advises and assists local forces in an effort to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State, which seized large parts of both countries in 2014 before being defeated.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, the US military has been attacked at least 100 times in Iraq and Syria, usually by a combination of rockets and drones.