Iraqi President Meets With Trump to Discuss US Withdrawal

According to the Iraqi President's office, Salih called on Trump to respect the demands of the Iraqi people and begin withdrawing the U.S. Armed Forces from his country.

“During the meeting, reducing foreign troops and the importance of respecting the demands of Iraqi people to preserve the country’s sovereignty were discussed,” the statement said.

The two presidents met on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, marking the first time that Trump has sat down with Salih since the latter ordered the assassination of the Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, and several Iraqi paramilitary officials, including the Deputy Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandis, near the Baghdad Airport.

“We’re talking about a lot of different things,” Trump said after the meeting. “They like what we’re doing, and we like them.” Trump did not go into detail, nor did he comment on the request to withdraw the U.S. forces from Iraq.

Previously, Trump warned Iraq that they could face sanctions if they force the U.S. military to withdraw from their country; however, this has not deterred Baghdad, as they have repeated their call for all foreign troops to leave.

The U.S. military has had a military presence inside of Iraq since the 2003 invasion that led to the overthrow of then President Saddam Hussein and his government. While former President Barack Obama did end the Iraq War in 2010, the U.S. forces still remained inside the country.