US, Iraq to Begin Talks on Winding Down Anti-Terror Coalition’s Mandate

Washington and Baghdad are set to begin formal talks about winding down the activities of a U.S.-led coalition tasked with fighting the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS) terrorist group in Iraq. According to officials from both countries, Iraqi and U.S. representatives will soon meet to lay the groundwork for discussions, which will be held within the framework of a U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC). “The United States and the government of Iraq will start working-group meetings of the HMC in coming days,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said at a Jan. 25 press briefing. An estimated 2,500 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Iraq as part of an international U.S.-led coalition tasked with preventing a resurgence of ISIS....