US affirms broad support for Iraq in Strategic Dialogue, including continued fight against ISIS

The third round of the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue began in Washington, DC on July 23, 2021. (Photo: US State Department)
The third round of the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue began in Washington, DC on July 23, 2021. (Photo: US State Department)

WASHINGTON, DC (Kurdistan 24) – The US and Iraqi Foreign Ministers met in Washington on Friday, as part of the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, which was begun last year, with the aim of establishing a “normal” relationship between Washington and Baghdad—i.e. one that resembles America’s relationship with other Middle Eastern allies, such as Jordan, Egypt, or Qatar.

US and Iraqi officials stressed the broad-ranging nature of the discussions of the US-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee, the group formally conducting the talks. 

So far, there has been no mention, at least publicly, of any change in US troop deployments in Iraq—a much discussed topic among journalists. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that will happen on Monday, when Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi meets with US President Joe Biden.

According to the Journal, the US and Iraq will announce that US combat troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2021. The object of such a statement would be to reduce pressure on Kadhimi’s government that comes from pro-Iran militias in Iraq, which seek to drive the US out of the country.

Yet since the mission of the 2,500 US troops in Iraq has already changed from combat to advise and assist, even the issuance of such a statement may not be accompanied by any real change on the ground. 

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The much ballyhooed statement could prove to be, almost entirely, a public relations exercise. As such, it would remain to be seen whether it would have the intended effect.

Continuing the Fight Against ISIS

ISIS remains a serious threat, as Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein explained in his opening remarks. 

“There are still terrorist activities for ISIS in Iraq,” he said, noting the recent suicide bombing in Sadr City that killed over 30 people on the eve of Eid al-Adha.

ISIS’s continued terrorism “represents a danger to Iraqi society, the regional society, and international society,” Hussein affirmed. 

That is also the US view. On Thursday, US and Iraqi defense officials held military technical talks at the Pentagon, as part of the Strategic Dialogue. 

They “reaffirmed the importance” of their “bilateral security relationship” and their shared commitment to the D-ISIS [Defeat-ISIS] mission,” according to a statement, issued by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.

During the meeting, the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin “joined the delegation; reiterated his commitment to the Defeat-ISIS mission; and reaffirmed his steadfast support for the US-Iraq strategic partnership,” Kirby said.

Other Ways the US Supports Iraq

As the State Department made clear, the US is committed to support Iraq over a broad range of issues that go far beyond the military.

Public Health and Humanitarian Assistance

US support includes assistance to confront the coronavirus, as the world, including Iraq, is wracked by the Delta variant, a highly contagious mutation that arose earlier this year in India, after the country’s populist prime minister, Narendra Modi, cast aside established public health measures, as he campaigned for reelection. 

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The US is also the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to Iraq, and it announced an additional $155 million in support “for the people of Iraq as well as Iraqi refugees in the region and generous communities hosting them,” according to a statement issued by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.

Blinken noted that the additional funds bring the total of US humanitarian support for Iraq to over $200 million in 2021. Since 2014, “The United States has provided more than $3 billion in humanitarian assistance in Iraq and for Iraqis in the region,” he said.

Some significant part of that aid reaches the Kurdistan Region, which hosts nearly 700,000 internally displaced Iraqis, along with over 250,000 Syrian refugees.

Indeed, during Friday’s discussions at the State Department, the US “reaffirmed its continued intention to support Iraq in helping communities that were targeted by ISIS recover,” as well as to work “to peacefully rehabilitate and reintegrate Iraqis with perceived or actual ISIS familial ties—particularly women and children—back into society,” a State Department statement explained.

Human Rights and Elections

The US and Iraqi delegations also “discussed how the United States could best support the Iraqi government to protect protesters, activists, women in public life and journalists,” as well as hold those accountable who commit violent crimes against them, according to the statement.

The US is also focused on supporting Iraq’s elections, which are scheduled to be held in October. It has recently provided nearly $10 million to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for technical support related to the elections, Washington and is planning on adding another $5 million to that sum.

The US and Iraq delegations, according to the State Department, agreed that “the presence of both a UNAMI monitoring team and EU observation mission represents a good-faith effort by the International community to support the Iraqi people’s calls for free and fair elections.”

Education, Science and Culture

The US has been a major funder of education in Iraq. Since 2017, it has provided $17.5 million “to support non-state, not for profit institutions” of higher learning in Iraq, the State Department said. 

Youth unemployment is a serious problem, and the US and Iraq “reaffirmed their commitment to producing strong, ‘job-ready’ vocational and college graduates” through a number of programs, including those providing for Iraqi students to study in the US.