Iraq eyes post-Global Coalition defense partnership with US
Shafaq News- Washington
Iraq is working toward a bilateral military partnership with the United States following the conclusion of the Global Coalition's mission in September, the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sabah al-Numan, told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
In an interview ahead of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, al-Numan told Shafaq News that the anticipated talks will focus on the future of the Iraq-US military relationship post-Coalition, with Baghdad seeking a solid bilateral partnership covering training, armament, intelligence, and capacity-building for the Iraqi Armed Forces. A parallel meeting between Iraqi and American defense ministry delegations is also underway, he said.
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On the Iraqi government's effort to bring all armed factions under state authority and Washington’s role in this regard, al-Numan stressed that "this is a purely Iraqi decision, based on the mandate of the Iraqi people, the will of parliament, and the directives of the religious authority [Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani]."
"The mechanisms for implementation were set by the Prime Minister. No external party participates in drafting or managing them."
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Al-Numan added that the central committee, headed by the Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, with the Military Secretary as a member, is working under al-Zaidi's direct supervision to complete and finalize the file, and the coming days will see additional factions join official security institutions.
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