Exclusive: Al-Zaidi seeks a new military partnership with Washington after the coalition
On Tuesday, the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sabah al-Nu’man, revealed that Baghdad intends to establish a bilateral military partnership with the United States after the end of the international coalition’s mission, while emphasizing that the issue of restricting weapons to the state is a “sovereign Iraqi decision” that is being worked on according to a purely governmental vision, and there is no external coordination regarding it . MiddleEast news
This came during a special interview with Shafaq News Agency, ahead of the anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the US Department of War (the Pentagon), coinciding with joint meetings between delegations from the Iraqi and US Ministries of Defense .
Al-Nu’man said that the upcoming talks will focus on “the future of the military relationship between Iraq and the United States after the end of the international coalition’s mission,” indicating that Baghdad is looking forward to building a strong bilateral partnership with Washington in the areas of training, arming, intelligence and raising the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces .
He added that “Iraq has made great progress in consolidating internal security, and despite the tensions in the region, the security situation inside the country is stable thanks to the readiness of the armed forces and their ability to impose security.”
The spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces indicated that the Iraqi delegation’s visit also carries a message to international companies that “Iraq enjoys a stable security environment that qualifies it to receive foreign investments.”
Regarding the issue of restricting weapons, Al-Nu’man stressed that “this issue represents a purely Iraqi decision, based on the mandate of the Iraqi people, the will of the House of Representatives, and the directives of the religious authority.”
He stressed that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has made this file a government priority, with the aim of ensuring that security and military decisions are entirely in the hands of the state and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces .
Al-Nu’man revealed that “the coming days will witness the joining of other factions to the official security institutions,” noting that the government has made significant progress in implementing this path .
In response to a question from Shafaq News regarding coordination with the US administration on the issue of restricting weapons, Al-Nu’man categorically denied this, saying that “the decision is entirely Iraqi, and the mechanisms for its implementation were put in place by the Prime Minister, and no external party is involved in its formulation or management.”
He concluded by noting that the Prime Minister had formed a central committee, headed by the Deputy Commander of Joint Operations and including the Military Secretary, which operates under his direct supervision, with the aim of completing this file and bringing it to a final conclusion .
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday, leading a high-level delegation that included a number of ministers, officials, investors and business owners, for an official visit that will last seven days.
Shafaq.com