US Ready for Negotiations with Iraq on American Military Presence

Iraqi demonstrators block roads with burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani
Iraqi demonstrators block roads with burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani
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US Ready for Negotiations with Iraq on American Military Presence

Iraqi demonstrators block roads with burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani
Iraqi demonstrators block roads with burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani

The United States is prepared to enter into talks with Iraq on the removal of US troops from the country, as demanded by the Iraqi parliament, Ambassador James Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria and the coalition against ISIS, said Thursday.

"Our position, as you know –- we've said it several times -- is that we're prepared to discuss with the Iraqi government our overall strategic relationship," Jeffrey told reporters in Washington.

"We have not seen an uptick in violence in Iraq” by ISIS in this period, he said at the State Department.

Jeffrey said US-led coalition operations have been on pause in Iraq as the focus has been on force protection and talks with the Baghdad government on the way forward after Iraq's parliament voted to expel foreign troops.

The lawmakers were furious at the Jan. 3 drone strike on Iraqi soil that killed Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

The Pentagon is likely deploying a missile-defense system to Iraq in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on the Iraqi base of Ain al-Asad housing American troops to avenge Soleimani’s death, US defense officials tell Fox News.

The move comes after US troops were sent to a medical facility in Germany after complaining of head injuries following the Iranian missile attack.

Fox News previously reported that the US military didn’t shoot down any of Iran’s ballistic missiles because there was no missile defense system in position.

A senior Pentagon official told Fox News that they believed an Iranian missile attack was “unlikely.” US officials say a Patriot air defense system will now likely be deployed.



Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
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Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)

Senior Houthi leaders have disappeared from public life in Sanaa, gripped by fear of US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, now entering their third week, sources in Yemen said.

The first-tier leadership of the Iran-aligned group is believed to have fled the capital, which remains under Houthi control, seeking shelter in remote areas of Saada and Amran provinces.

According to informed sources, the group’s leaders have severed traditional communication channels and several have either gone into hiding or relocated to undisclosed locations as a precaution against possible targeted strikes.

Since the launch of US airstrikes on March 15, senior and mid-level Houthi leaders have vanished from public view and social media platforms, Yemeni sources say, as fear of targeted attacks continues to grow within the group’s ranks.

Informed sources confirmed there has been no trace of the group’s top two tiers of leadership - neither in the institutions under Houthi control in Sanaa, nor on the streets and neighborhoods they once frequented in luxury vehicles.

Even the sectarian events that Houthi leaders were known to regularly attend have reportedly gone on without their visible presence.

The Houthi group has remained tight-lipped about the extent of its human and military losses following US airstrikes ordered by Trump.

However, sources say several leaders not belonging to the ruling family of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi are still believed to be in Sanaa.

Many of these figures have adopted strict security measures to avoid detection, including travelling in vehicles with tinted windows and covering their faces with cloaks when leaving temporary residences, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The precautions reflect growing fears of betrayal or being targeted by further strikes.

A source in Sanaa revealed that third-tier Houthi officials—mostly tribal figures and field supervisors—were instructed to flee to the northern provinces of Saada, Amran and other areas as US air raids intensified.

According to the source, mid-level Houthi officials have lost all direct contact with the group’s senior leadership after the latter switched locations and shut down their communication lines.