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Kadhimi, Biden to Meet Soon, Discuss Withdrawal of US Troop

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. (Khalid Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. (Khalid Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS)
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Kadhimi, Biden to Meet Soon, Discuss Withdrawal of US Troop

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. (Khalid Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. (Khalid Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi will travel to Washington in July and meet with US President Joe Biden.

The two leaders are set to discuss the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, based on previous talks with former US President Donald Trump.

Biden’s administration, however, seeks to tackle means of addressing pro-Iranian factions active in Iraq.

Earlier on Sunday, the US forces launched airstrikes targeting pro-Iranian militants near the Albu Kamal district on the Syrian side of the border.

The Pentagon said the strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one in Iraq, all near the common border, that had been used by militias engaged in drone attacks against US interests in Iraq.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Kadhimi held talks with Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Badr Organization Hadi al-Ameri following the attacks.

During the meeting, Ameri stressed that the demands of the Shiite political forces and armed factions changed after the recent US strikes, calling for an immediate and complete withdrawal of the US forces from the country, the sources affirmed.

Kadhimi vowed to discuss the matter during his upcoming visit to Washington, the sources added.

Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji affirmed that Kadhimi will address the issue with Biden.

“The position of the Iraqi government is clear in this regard. The prime minister condemned the attack, describing it as a violation of the state’s sovereignty. The premier is planning a visit to Washington to set a timetable for US troop withdrawal,” he stressed.

Al-Jazeera quoted Araji as noting that his country does not need foreign combat forces on its soil and has enough forces.

Earlier in April, the US and Iraq agreed on the withdrawal of all remaining US and coalition combat troops deployed to fight ISIS in the Middle Eastern country.

Kadhimi also ordered the formation of a committee that would hold technical talks with the US side to approve “mechanisms and timings” related to the redeployment.

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Al-Sharaa Welcomes Abbas on First Visit to Damascus in 16 Years

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)
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Al-Sharaa Welcomes Abbas on First Visit to Damascus in 16 Years

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Palestinian counterpart in Damascus (Syrian Presidency)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on Friday, marking Abbas’s first visit to the Syrian capital in nearly 16 years.

Al-Sharaa greeted Abbas at the entrance of the Presidential Palace, and the two leaders walked side by side along a red carpet, according to an AFP correspondent.

Al-Sharaa held talks with Abbas and his accompanying delegation on Friday in Damascus, in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, the presidency said.

The visit is Abbas’s first to Syria since June 2009 and aims to discuss ways to strengthen Palestinian-Syrian ties, ease administrative procedures for Palestinians living in Syria, and address shared security concerns, a Syrian government source told AFP.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), around 560,000 Palestinians lived in Syria before the outbreak of conflict in 2011. The agency now estimates that number at about 438,000, with more than 40% internally displaced.

Abbas’s visit to Damascus carries exceptional significance due to the complex Palestinian landscape in Syria, observers in the capital told Germany’s DPA news agency.

Analysts noted that the visit comes against the backdrop of a sensitive file involving Palestinian factions that were previously aligned with the former regime and have since had their offices and military posts shut down.

Abbas is expected to raise several key issues, including bilateral relations, the situation of Palestinians in Syria—whose number is currently estimated at more than half a million—and the reconstruction of Yarmouk camp, widely considered the capital of the Palestinian diaspora.

Abbas is accompanied by Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, and committee member Ahmad Majdalani. It is his first trip to Syria since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.

His last visit to Damascus was in 2009, when he met Assad as part of a regional tour that also included Saudi Arabia.

In the years following Syria’s civil war, Abbas maintained indirect contact with Damascus, sending messages to Assad through Palestinian officials—the most recent in June 2024.