No plans for full US withdrawal from Iraq, top general says
The United States may be leaving Afghanistan but troops will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future, the CENTCOM commander told Congress.
The top commander of US forces in the Middle East told lawmakers that he does not foresee a full US withdrawal from Iraq amid continued dialogue with officials in Baghdad.
“That move is not contemplated,” head of US Central Command Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Tuesday.
“I don’t see us withdrawing completely from Iraq in the future,” he said.
McKenzie’s response was prompted by a question posed by Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) about the potential consequences of removing the roughly 2,500 US troops who remain in Iraq as the core of the multinational campaign against the Islamic State.
