Iraq, US agree to strengthen communication, deepen cooperation

BAGHDAD

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani agreed to enhance communication and deepen cooperation between their countries during a telephone call Tuesday, according to a statement from Al-Sudani’s office.

It noted that the two officials discussed overall US-Iraq relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.

The call included talks on coordination between Iraq and the new US administration, as well as frameworks for bilateral agreements.

Both sides reviewed progress in joint efforts across various sectors and agreed to enhance communication and deepen cooperation, it said.

Washington and Baghdad agreed Sept. 27 to set a timeline for ending the US-led coalition’s mission in Iraq within 12 months of the agreement, with a final deadline of September 2025.

At the time, both countries announced a shift toward bilateral security relations designed to support Iraqi forces and maintain pressure on the ISIS (Daesh) terror group.

Meanwhile, the coalition’s military operations in Syria will continue from a designated base approved by the High Military Commission until September 2026 to “prevent ISIS terrorist threat from re-emerging in northeastern Syria.”

The US currently maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of an international coalition, which was established in 2014 to combat ISIS.

The coalition includes countries such as France and Spain and was formed in response to the group’s territorial control over large areas of Iraq and Syria.