Iraqi PM urges less attention to 'anti-American' propaganda

That was a core message Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi brought with him to Washington this week, even if it was overshadowed by President Biden‘s announcement that the U.S.

al-Kadhimi said in a behind-the-scenes discussion with The Washington Times.

“Now we are only interested in moving forward,” the Iraqi prime minister told Times columnist Tim Constantine, who also produces “The Capitol Hill Show,” a weekly radio and podcast program.

Some 2,500 American forces are expected to remain in Iraq indefinitely, although Biden administration officials say the U.S.

al-Kadhimi told The Times that ISIS controls no territory in Iraq but maintains “sleeper cells” that Iraqi forces are constantly scrambling to disrupt.

Security forces nearly always succeed in preempting attacks like the one that rocked the Iraqi capital on July 19, the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

More importantly, we captured the cell that planned those attacks,” the Iraqi prime minister said.

al-Kadhimi said Iraqi forces are now prepared to manage the security situation without major help from Americans.

He told The Associated Press earlier in the week that “there is no need for any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil.”.

Away from the ISIS issue, the matter of Iranian influence looms large for Iraq, particularly as the Biden administration seeks diplomatic outreach to Tehran through a revival of the Obama-era nuclear deal that President Trump repudiated three years ago.

forces stationed in Iraq and neighboring Syria have come under fire in recent years from Iran-backed militias such as Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

The al-Kadhimi government has been trying to fold the Popular Mobilization Forces into his country’s broader security forces.

The complex dynamic has resulted in friction between Baghdad and Washington, most notably in late June when the Biden administration ordered U.S.

forces to bomb what the White House said were “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups” along the Iraq-Syria border.

The Pentagon said the bombing was a response to attacks by the Iran-backed groups on American interests in Iraq, but Mr.

al-Kadhimi since the Iraqi prime minister demanded this year that they restrain their militias in the region.

al-Kadhimi told The Times that his meeting with Mr.

Biden was “definitely excellent.” He said the U.S.

al-Kadhimi underscored that Iraqis view the United States as a positive force in arenas beyond the security realm.

He said his team presented the Biden administration with a “specific five-year plan” for strengthening Iraqi-U.S.

We are organizing efforts for the economy, the environment, the scientific and corporate sectors,” the Iraqi prime minister said

“We like to look at the glass as half-full,” he told The Times