President Joe Biden plans to host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is visiting next month as the countries hold formal talks about winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq. The meeting is scheduled for April 15, the White House said Friday.
Quick Read
- President Joe Biden is set to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on April 15 to discuss the conclusion of the U.S.-led military coalition’s mission against the Islamic State in Iraq.
- Their talks will cover various topics, including combating the Islamic State, Iraq’s economic development, and efforts towards financial independence and modernization.
- Al-Sudani’s rise to power in October 2022 was supported by a coalition of Iran-backed groups, highlighting Iran’s significant influence in Iraq.
- The U.S. has called on Iraq to address attacks on U.S. bases and to manage its financial relations with Tehran to curb money laundering that benefits Iran and Syria.
- Discussions on ending the U.S.-led coalition’s presence in Iraq began in January, with around 2,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in the country.
- The meeting follows the year anniversary of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-American academic, by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia in Iraq designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
- Tsurkov’s sister, Emma, has urged the U.S. to designate Iraq as a state sponsor of terrorism and to condition the Biden-al-Sudani meeting on securing Elizabeth Tsurkov’s release.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden to host Iraqi leader Al-Sudani in the White House on April 15
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden plans to host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is visiting next month as the countries hold formal talks about winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq. The meeting is scheduled for April 15, the White House said Friday.
The leaders will “consult on a range of issues,” including the fight against the Islamic State and “ongoing Iraqi financial reforms to promote economic development and progress toward Iraq’s financial independence and modernization,” the White House said.
The two countries have a delicate relationship due in part to Iran’s considerable sway in Iraq, where a coalition of Iran-backed groups brought al-Sudani to power in October 2022.
The U.S. in recent months has urged Iraq to do more to prevent attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria that have further roiled the Middle East in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. It’s also sought to apply financial pressure over Baghdad’s relationship with Tehran, restricting Iraq’s access to its own dollars in an effort to stamp out money laundering said to benefit Iran and Syria.
The U.S. and Iraq, meanwhile, held a first session in January to discuss ending the coalition created to help the Iraqi government fight the Islamic State, with some 2,000 U.S. troops remaining in the country under an agreement with Baghdad. Iraqi officials have periodically called for a withdrawal of those forces.
The visit will also come a year after the kidnapping in Baghdad of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-American academic at Princeton University who is believed to be held by an Iran-backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah, that is regarded by Washington as a terrorist group and is seen as one of the most powerful armed groups in Iraq. It was formed during the power vacuum that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, with support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On Thursday, Tsurkov’s sister, Emma, urged the State Department to declare Iraq a state sponsor of terrorism and called on the White House to make the al-Sudani meeting contingent on the prime minister arranging for the release of her sister — something she said that he was empowered to do.
“I am appalled that Sudani will be allowed to shake President Biden’s hand while his other hand holds the keys to my sister’s shackles,” Tsurkov said at event outside the Iraqi Embassy in Washington.
