Iraq is requesting the United States armed forces stationed in the country begin a one-year withdrawal cycle not later than September, according to a report by Reuters.
The news outlet quoted four Iraqi sources who stated their government is discussing the matter with Pentagon officials this week at a security conference in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. currently has 2,500 personnel in the Middle Eastern nation as part of an international coalition that was formed in 2014 to counter Islamic State operations in the region.
Previous requests by Baghdad to reduce the U.S. presence within Iraq’s borders have been met with apprehension from the White House, as the Biden administration considers the deployment necessary to fight ISIS and support the 900 American troops garrisoned in neighboring Syria.
The proposal comes at a time when Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, is under increasing pressure from Tehran-backed factions in his parliament to reduce the Western military continuance that the anti-ISIS alliance created.
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