US Envoy Highlights Militia Concerns, Backs Iraq’s Security Efforts After High-Level Washington Talks

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Mark Savaya, the United States Special Envoy to Iraq, said he held a “very successful” meeting with senior US intelligence officials to discuss key security challenges facing Iraq, including the role of militias and the need to strengthen state authority.

In a statement posted Monday on his official X account, Savaya said the talks brought together Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, and Joe Kent, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He noted that discussions covered “a range of critical issues” he had previously raised in his engagements on Iraq.

According to Savaya, a central focus of the meeting was the influence of militias and related networks, alongside the importance of sustaining recent Iraqi government efforts to assert control and improve governance.

He emphasized the need to build on measures taken over the past year to secure Iraq’s borders, combat smuggling and corruption, and strengthen the state's authority.

“These efforts are essential to stabilizing the country and ensuring long-term security,” Savaya said, underscoring Washington’s view that stronger institutions are key to Iraqi sovereignty.

Savaya also reaffirmed the Trump administration’s approach to Iraq, saying that under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, the United States is committed to exposing and pursuing wrongdoing wherever it exists, while supporting Iraq’s stability and security “in the service of Iraqi sovereignty and the well-being of the Iraqi people.”

He concluded his statement with a political slogan directed at Iraq’s future, writing: “Iraqi people will make Iraq great again.”

The remarks come amid ongoing US-Iraq dialogue over security cooperation, the presence of armed groups outside state control, and efforts by Baghdad to balance internal stability with regional pressures.

Washington has repeatedly voiced support for Iraqi initiatives aimed at consolidating security institutions and curbing illicit networks that undermine governance and economic recovery.