Monday, July 26, 2021

Mustafa al-Kadhimi | July 26, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Clarity over US troops in Iraq to dominate Biden-Kadhimi meeting
Jul 26, 2021
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadimi will meet US President Joe Biden at the White House later on Monday. High on the agenda is the US troop withdrawal from Iraq. Pentagon officials maintain support will continue as combat troops leave amid a continued threat from ISIL (ISIS). The US in April tentatively agreed to the withdrawal, which is part of Baghdad’s careful balancing of competing Iranian and US influence in the country.
US President Joe Biden welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi at the White House for the leaders' first meeting on Monday
Biden to welcome weakened Iraq PM amid Iran hostility

Jul 26 - ...Although Mr. Biden has initiated a pullout from Afghanistan and could soon do the same from Iraq, the U.S. will still have about 900 troops stationed in Syria. There appear to be no immediate plans to bring those forces home.

That means that even if the U.S. withdraws from Iraq, the Iran-backed militias theoretically still could target American forces in Syria or elsewhere across the Middle East.
Pentagon officials have warned that those groups will face retaliation for targeting Americans, presumably even if attacks originate from Iraq.

“We seek to make clear to Iran and Iran-backed militia groups that there will be serious consequences if they continue to attack, or to arm, fund and train militia groups that attack our people,” A Pentagon spokesperson, Cmdr. Jessica McNulty, said in a statement several weeks ago after the most recent U.S. airstrikes on the militias.


“We will take necessary and appropriate measures to defend U.S. personnel, partners and allies in the region,” she said.     quoted from


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Iran-backed militia fighters march in central Baghdad, Iraq, June 29, 2021. Iraqi Shiite militias are showing a degree of defiance of their patron Iran by escalating rocket and drone attacks on the U.S. presence in the country.
Pro-Iranian Militia Commander Threatens Attacks Against US Forces Unless They Leave Iraq

Jul 25 - The commander of Iraq's self-styled pro-Iranian "resistance" forces has threatened to mount more attacks on U.S. forces inside the country if they don't withdraw.
The threat by the commander, Khais al Khazali, coincided with a drone attack overnight that targeted U.S. forces in Kurdistan.

​A U.S. coalition spokesman in Iraq confirmed in a statement Saturday that there had been a drone attack on U.S. forces at the Qiyyara base and said there had been no casualties.
In addition to promising more attacks on U.S. forces, Khazali said opposition forces would retaliate if the U.S. attacked them...     more
Iraq Expects Announcement to End US Combat Mission

Jul 23 - Members of a top Iraqi delegation expect to reach an agreement Friday with the Biden administration to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, the country’s foreign minister told VOA on Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with VOA’s Kurdish Service, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein discussed the proposed nature of cooperation between his country and U.S. forces once an agreement is reached, particularly in the fight against the Islamic State group.

​“In my opinion, we will reach the agreement on Friday and then it will be announced that [American] fighting forces — I am talkingm technical matters and other issues related to the security of the forces,” Hussein told VOA...     more


Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi will meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday
Clarity over US troops in Iraq to dominate Biden-Kadhimi meeting

Iraqi PM will push for a clearer timeline for removal of US ‘combat’ troops as Biden seeks to stop armed group attacks.

Jul 26 - United States President Joe Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on Monday, the latest step in weeks of “strategic dialogue” over the future of US troops in Iraq, attacks by Iran-aligned groups, and fears of a resurgence of ISIL (ISIS).

At the top of the agenda for al-Kadhimi, the former director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service who became prime minister in May 2020, will be attaining a more concrete timeline for the withdrawal of US “combat” troops, a category that the Biden administration has yet to define.

The US in April tentatively agreed to the withdrawal, which is part of Baghdad’s careful balancing of competing Iranian and US influence in the country...     more 


Related Articles:
Iraqi PM al-Kadhimi: Iraq does not need US combat troops
Baghdad bombing: 35 killed in attack on packed Iraq market
Coalition says Iraq base housing US troops hit in drone attack

...Upon assuming power, al-Kadhimi promised to guide Iraq through a serious financial crisis, saying the state treasury was “nearly empty” after years of waste and declining oil prices. Al-Kadhimi's cabinet vowed to reduce public spending and audit salaries granted to millions of Iraqis but retracted the plan after public criticism. In August 2020, he hired hundreds of unemployed Iraqis at the Ministry of Defense, but not enough to halt sit-ins outside other public sector offices demanding jobs. He has few allies in government and parliament is heavily dominated by pro-Iran MPs who have balked at his references to protester demands. He has also struggled to fulfill his promise to bring the security forces to justice who were allegedly responsible for the deaths of nearly 600 protesters and activists since October 2019. In addition, al-Kadhimi pledged to investigate the recent murders of journalists and political activists that have increased in the past year, but no one has been brought to justice yet.[15]

Iran and its allied Fatah Alliance opposed al-Kadhimi's appointment. In April 2020, Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia with close links to Iran and ties to the Popular Mobilization Forces, published a statement that accused al-Kadhimi of being culpable for the deaths of its leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and charged him with working with the United States.[1] In the meantime, al-Kadhimi directed the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) to investigate rocket attacks against the International Zone, and promised to confront the disobedient paramilitaries     quoted from Wikipedia


Absorber columns at the Gazprom PJSC Slavyanskaya compressor station, the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in Ust-Luga, Russia, on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. Nord Stream 2 is a 1,230-kilometer (764-mile) gas pipeline that will double the capacity of the existing undersea route from Russian fields to Europe

​U.S., Germany Send Russia Warning in Draft Nord Stream 2 Accord

Jul 20 - The U.S. and Germany are close to a deal on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would threaten sanctions and other retaliation if Russia tries to use energy as a weapon against Ukraine, according to a draft text of the deal obtained by Bloomberg News.

Under the agreement, Germany would take unspecified national action if Russia commits such actions, a decision that may mark a concession from Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had previously balked at making independent moves against the Kremlin over the gas pipeline that will run from Russia to Germany.

If Russia attempted to use energy as a weapon or commit aggression against Ukraine, Germany would take action itself while also pressing for measures at the European level, including sanctions to limit Russia’s energy exports, according to the accord.
A senior U.S. official, who asked not to be identified discussing the terms of the deal, said the language was intentionally ambiguous because the administration didn’t want to give Russia a road map of its response to any malign behavior. The official didn’t rule out that such action could include limiting gas flows from Russia to Germany.

While suggesting the possibility of limits to Russian gas flows, that language will almost certainly disappoint critics -- including many U.S. lawmakers -- who say that the Biden administration hasn’t done enough to stop the pipeline, which was more than 90% complete when President Joe Biden came into office...     more

“北风之神”-A首次参演 普京出席俄最大规模海上阅兵 20210725 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 26, 2021

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