22 Oct 2019; MEMO: US forces that crossed into Iraq as part of a pull-out from Syria do not have permission to stay and can only be there in transit, the Iraqi military said yesterday.
The Iraqi statement, reported by Reuters, contradicts the Pentagon’s announcement that all of the nearly 1,000 troops withdrawing from northern Syria are expected to move to western Iraq to continue the campaign against Daesh militants and “to help defend Iraq”.
A senior US defence official later clarified that the situation was still fluid and plans could change.
“All US forces that withdrew from Syria received approval to enter the Kurdistan Region so that they may be transported outside Iraq. There is no permission granted for these forces to stay inside Iraq,” the Iraqi military said in a statement.
It is unclear whether the US troops will use Iraq as a base to launch ground raids into Syria and carry out air strikes against Daesh militants.
The additional US troops would add to the more than 5,000 American troops already based in the country, training Iraqi forces and helping to ensure that Islamic State militants do not make a comeback.
Earlier this month, American President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of US troops from Syria ahead of a planned Turkish military operation in the north-east of the country, which Ankara says is intended to create a “safe zone” to allow for the safe return of some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
