Earlier in the day, caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said that he had asked the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send representatives “to choose a mechanism for US troop withdrawal” from Iraq.
Declaring the US to be “a force for good in the Middle East,” Ortagus said that the US has been “unambiguous regarding how crucial our [defeat] ISIS mission is in Iraq.”
According to Reuters she said: “At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership—not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East".
“There does, however, need to be a conversation between the US and Iraqi governments not just regarding security, but about our financial, economic, and diplomatic partnership,” she added.
“We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign, prosperous, and stable Iraq.”
The back and forth between the State Department and the caretaker prime minister’s office capped a week during which the US assasinated Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike near Baghdad international airport.
Since then the administration has struggled to justify that explanation to Congressional leaders, allies, and Iraqi officials.
In response to the terror, Iran launched a barrage of nearly two-dozen ballistic missiles at bases in Anbar and Erbil hosting US and coalition troops, many of whom work as trainers for local forces as part of the fight against Islamic State.
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