Carla Babb @CarlaBabbVOA
18m18 minutes ago
#BREAKING @EsperDoD can't confirm whether the letter to Iraqi DM from Gen Seely is real but says there has be no decision for US forces to leave #Iraq . To #Iran, "the ball is in your court" to deescalate and the US is open to sitting down.
Carla Babb (@CarlaBabbVOA) | Twitter
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As the Pentagon Correspondent for VOA News I assume she was in the room to hear the comment and wasn't getting it second hand. (the red text emphasis above is mine).
ALSO
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper denies reports that the US-led international coalition fighting ISIS has decided to withdraw from Iraq.
www.israelnationalnews.com
(fair use applies)
US Defense Secretary: There has been no decision to leave Iraq
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper denies reports that the US-led international coalition fighting ISIS has decided to withdraw from Iraq.
Elad Benari, 06/01/20 23:12
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper responded on Monday to reports that the US-led coalition to combat the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization
has decided to withdraw from Iraq.
"There has been no decision to leave Iraq. Period," he said.
Earlier it was reported that the commander of Task Force Iraq had written a letter to the Iraqis informing them of the decision to withdraw.
The US decision, according to the reports, was made following the nonbinding decision of the Iraqi parliament from Sunday to expel all US troops from the country.
On Sunday night, President Donald Trump
was asked about the possibility that Iraq would force US troops out of the country, and threatened sanctions against Baghdad, adding that if troops did leave, Baghdad would have to pay Washington for the cost of the air base there.
“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build, long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” he stressed.
Trump said that if Iraq asked US forces to leave and it was not done on a friendly basis, “we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
