Baghdad, US Central Command review security cooperation
The meeting was attended by Steven Fagin, Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Baghdad; Kevin Lambert, the new commander of the US-led global coalition against ISIS; and Kevin Leahy, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in Iraq, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The meeting addressed cooperation between Iraq and the international coalition, as well as preparations for the transition to bilateral security ties with the coalition's member countries.
In addition to security coordination, the two sides reviewed recent developments in Syria and their implications for regional security.
The Iraqi prime minister indicated that diplomatic initiatives and collaboration are important to maintain regional stability.
In an interview with the BBC earlier in July, Al-Sudani said that the international coalition's mission in Iraq will end in September 2026.
The Iraqi government held two rounds of discussions with the United States in Baghdad and Washington, and a third round is scheduled to be held to determine the structure of the security cooperation, in line with the Iraqi constitution, according to Al-Sudani.
In April, Al-Sudani and Leahy discussed strategies to strengthen collaboration between Iraq and the member countries of the international coalition.
This collaboration included improving training and exchanging knowledge and information with Iraqi security agencies.
Iraq initiated discussions with the United States in January 2024 to terminate the coalition's operations in the country.
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