Pentagon: HMC meeting not negotiation about withdrawal of US forces from Iraq

During that August 2023 meeting, the US and Iraq committed to starting the HMC to discuss the coalition's mission to defeat ISIS will - that will transition on a timeline that considers three key factors: the threat from ISIS, operational and - and environmental requirements, and the Iraqi Security Forces' capability levels, said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, Report informs.

She noted that the HMC meeting is not a negotiation about the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq:

"It is about the - what the future looks like for the US and Iraqi bilateral relationship. And one of the things that the HMC is going to consider are many—the three factors that I outlined at the beginning, which is the threat of ISIS, the operational and environmental requirements, and then, of course, the Iraqi Security Forces' capability levels."