The US Defense Secretary Mark
Esper, has said that America has no plans to pull out its militarily from Iraq.
Following the assassination of
Iranian army General, Qassem Soleimani by the US government, the Iraqi Parliament on Sunday, voted for US
troops to evacuate the country immediately.
However, Esper told Pentagon
reporters on Monday that there is no plan for troops to leave Iraq following
reports of a US military letter about preparations for a withdrawal.
“There’s been no decision
whatsoever to leave Iraq,” Esper said, when asked about the letter, adding
there had also been no plans issued to prepare to leave.
“There’s been no decision made to
leave Iraq. Period,” he told reporters, Al Jazeera reports.
The letter, cited by news
agencies and the US media, was sent to Iraqi military by a US Marine Corps
Brigadier General William H Seely III, commanding general of Task Force Iraq,
the US-led military coalition against ISIL.
Al Jazeera quoted a top US
general as saying that the letter was a poorly worded draft document meant to
only underscore increased movement of forces.
“Poorly worded, implies
withdrawal. That’s not what’s happening,” US Army General Mark Milley, chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a group of reporters, stressing there was no
withdrawal being planned.
“This was a mistake from
McKenzie,” Milley told reporters, referring to US Central Command commander
General Frank McKenzie.
“The long and short of it is:
It’s an honest mistake by people trying to do the right things in highly
dynamic situations, etc. It should not have been sent,” he said, adding that
the unsigned document was a draft sent to get input from Iraqi officials.
“It (the draft letter) was sent
over to some key Iraqi military guys in order to get things coordinated for air
movements, etc. Then it went from that guy’s hands to another guy’s hands and
then it went to your hands. Now, it’s a kerfuffle.”
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