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US Presence in Iraq Necessary With ISIS Threat, Says Top Commander

Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, speaks with US troops (Reuters)
Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, speaks with US troops (Reuters)
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US Presence in Iraq Necessary With ISIS Threat, Says Top Commander

Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, speaks with US troops (Reuters)
Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, speaks with US troops (Reuters)

The next round of strategic dialogue between Iraq and the US will be headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Donald Trump, after the first round ended last June, announced spokesman Ahmed Mulla Talal.

The talks aim to reactivate the security agreement signed between the two governments in 2008, however, Iran-affiliated armed groups in Iraq hope the dialogue would result in the "withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.”

Katyusha-rocket attacks on the US embassy in the Green Zone or military presence in Taji base were expected to be reduced, however, forces continued to launch missiles at an escalating rate even after the counter-terrorism unit arrested 14 persons, 13 of which were later released, during a raid on a site said to belong to an armed group.

Meanwhile, Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who heads US Central Command, indicated that the US needs the assistance of the new Iraqi government.

McKenzie said the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq will begin once ISIS is terminated in the country, adding that it is not limited to the outputs of the dialogue.

The Washington Post quoted McKenzie as saying that Kadhimi is “negotiating a land mine now. I think we need to help him,” adding that the PM must find his way, and there will be “less-than-perfect solutions, which is nothing new in Iraq.”

The General admitted that the PM has taken significant steps to confront Iranian-linked militias that have targeted US troops, adding that Washington must remain patient as Kadhimi “challenges groups with formidable military and political clout.”

Speaking to reporters by phone after leaving Iraq, McKenzie voiced confidence the Iraqi government would ask US forces to stay in the country despite earlier calls for a withdrawal.

These developments came at a time when the US installed a new air defense system over its embassy building in the Green Zone, which proved effective during the recent missile attack.

The missile was intercepted and landed close to a bridge injuring a number of protesters.

Military advisor Safaa al-Assam stated that the US installed the C-RAM defense system in the embassy, used against drones and light and medium missiles, without the knowledge of the Iraqi government.

Assam explained that the US troops in the country now possess weapons and an air defense system that exceed the Iraqi army’s capabilities, especially in the field of air defense under the pretext of defending itself.

National Security Professor Hussein Allawi said that the ongoing dialogue between Washington and Baghdad is important for both countries.

Allawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the aim of the talks is to establish an action road map on different tracks such as military, financial, defense, health, oil, and other fields of cooperation.

Allawi indicated that the Prime Minister will take into account the positions of all Iraqi forces, whether they support this dialogue and its outputs or reject it.

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Israeli Probe into Killings of 15 Palestinian Medics in Gaza Finds ‘Professional Failures’

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Probe into Killings of 15 Palestinian Medics in Gaza Finds ‘Professional Failures’

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

An Israeli investigation into the killings of 15 Palestinian medics last month in Gaza by Israeli forces said Sunday it found “professional failures” and a deputy commander will be fired.

Israel at first claimed that the medics' vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops opened fire but later backtracked. Cellphone video recovered from one of the medics contradicted Israel’s initial account.

The military investigation found that the deputy battalion commander, “due to poor night visibility,” assessed that the ambulances belonged to Hamas fighters. Video footage obtained from the incident shows the ambulances had lights flashing and logos visible as they pulled up to help another ambulance that came under fire earlier. The teams do not appear to be acting unusually or in a threatening manner as three medics emerge and head toward it.

Their vehicles immediately come under a barrage of gunfire that goes on for more than five minutes with brief pauses.

Bodies were buried in a mass grave

Eight Red Crescent personnel, six Civil Defense workers and a UN staffer were killed in the shooting before dawn on March 23 by troops conducting operations in Tel al-Sultan, a district of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Troops bulldozed over the bodies along with their mangled vehicles, burying them in a mass grave. UN and rescue workers were only able to reach the site a week later to dig out the bodies.

The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society has said the men were “targeted at close range.”

The Israeli military investigation said the examination found "no evidence to support claims of execution or that any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting."

It said the Palestinians were killed due to an “operational misunderstanding” by Israeli forces, and that a separate incident 15 minutes later, when Israeli soldiers shot at a Palestinian UN vehicle, was a breach of orders.

The deputy commander who will be dismissed was the first to open fire and the rest of the soldiers also started shooting, the investigation said.

The findings asserted that six of those killed were Hamas members and said some of the others were originally misidentified as Hamas. Israel’s military initially said nine were militants. The Civil Defense is part of the Hamas-run government.

The investigation found that the decision to crush the ambulances was wrong but said there was no attempt to conceal the event. Maj. Gen Yoav Har-Even, in charge of the military’s investigative branch, said the bodies and vehicles were removed from the road because the military wanted to use it for an evacuation route later that day.

Har-Even said the military notified international organizations about the shooting that day and helped them locate the bodies.

The statement on the findings concluded by saying that Israel’s military “regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians.” The one survivor was detained for investigation and remains in custody for further questioning.

The investigation's findings have been turned over the Military Advocate General, which can decide whether to file charges. It is meant to be an independent body, with oversight by Israel’s attorney general and Supreme Court.

There are no outside investigations of the killings underway.

Israel has accused Hamas of moving and hiding its fighters inside ambulances and emergency vehicles, as well as in hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, arguing that justifies strikes on them. Medical personnel largely deny the accusations.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 150 emergency responders from the Red Crescent and Civil Defense, most of them while on duty, as well as over 1,000 health workers during the war, according to the UN The Israeli military rarely investigates such incidents.

Israel disputes ICC accusations of war crimes

Palestinians and international human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israel’s military of failing to properly investigate or whitewashing misconduct by its troops.

Har-Even said the Israeli military is currently investigating 421 incidents during the war, with 51 concluded and sent to the Military Advocate General. There was no immediate information on the number of investigations involving potential wrongful deaths or how many times the MAG has pursued criminal charges.

The International Criminal Court, established by the international community as a court of last resort, has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes. Israel, which is not a member of the court, has long asserted that its legal system is capable of investigating the army, and Netanyahu has accused the ICC of antisemitism.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of them believed to be alive.

Israel’s offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. Around 90% of the population is displaced, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.

Frustration has been growing on both sides, with rare public protests against Hamas in Gaza and continued weekly rallies in Israel pressing the government to reach a deal to bring all hostages home.