VOA Exclusive: Iraq Foreign Minister Says Deal Imminent on Withdrawal of US 'Fighting Forces'
Voice of America
WASHINGTON - A top Iraqi delegation in Washington is expected to reach an agreement with the Biden administration Friday on the withdrawal of American combat forces in Iraq, Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi foreign minister, told VOA.
Hussein, whom U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host on Friday, sat down with VOA Kurdish Service's Motabar Shirwani in an exclusive interview Thursday to discuss the nature of cooperation between his country and the U.S. forces after the agreement, particularly in the fight against the Islamic State group. According to a statement last week from the White House, President Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday to discuss a wide array of topics including cooperation on political, economic, security and cultural issues. The following are excerpts from the interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. A member of the bomb squad of the Israeli police collects debris after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants struck in the Israeli city of Herzliya on May 26, 2024.