{"id":36798,"date":"2020-01-07T19:51:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T19:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/07\/esper-doubles-down-on-no-withdrawal-from-iraq-but-heres-how-it-could-unfold\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:13:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:13:23","slug":"esper-doubles-down-on-no-withdrawal-from-iraq-but-heres-how-it-could-unfold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/07\/esper-doubles-down-on-no-withdrawal-from-iraq-but-heres-how-it-could-unfold\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper doubles down on no withdrawal from Iraq, but here\u2019s how it could unfold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Syria in October reports from the battlefield came streaming in of coalition bases folding overnight, vehicles being destroyed and bases being bombed as American forces tried to hightail it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, American forces may be prepping for a potential withdrawal of the roughly 5,000 troops in Iraq as anger over the death of Iran Quds Force<\/a> commander Qassem Soleimani sweeps the region. How those forces would withdraw and what may be left behind as America scrambles to exit Iraq a second time is unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon has provided no explanations or details about what a withdrawal would look like and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday that \u201cour policy has not changed. We are not leaving Iraq.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest hint of plans to withdraw American troops from Iraq comes from a letter addressed to the Iraqi military regarding repositioning of coalition troops and \u201conward movement” out of Iraq following a Jan. 5 non-binding vote passed by Iraqi parliament to expel coalition troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs chairman, told reporters at the Pentagon Monday that the widely circulated letter from the U.S. military was just a draft, he also called it a mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, according to a report from the Washington Post<\/a>, senior Iraqi officials say Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi is translating the letter as a message that American forces intend to withdraw from the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper pushed back against that Tuesday at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no signed letter, to the best of my knowledge,\u201d Esper said. \u201cI have asked the question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. officials have largely ignored the non-binding vote, analysts and national security experts have suggested an actual withdrawal from Iraq is unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper argued that many of Iraq\u2019s Sunni and Kurdish members of parliament did not participate in the Sunday vote, and many of the Shiite members voted to expel the U.S. \u201cat threat of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, he added, Iraq hasn\u2019t taken any actions on the ground that are hampering the Defeat ISIS campaign or train-advise-assist mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are standing there not only to defend our interests but also our allies and partners,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the killing of Soleimani, which has sparked the latest escalation with Iran and it\u2019s aligned militias, Esper said the Iranian military leader was just days away from carrying out an attack on U.S. interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He offered no proof to back up that claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a withdrawal could look like<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first indications that the U.S. was pulling out could be the departure of special operations forces from Syria, which rely on enablers to provide lift, logistics, force protection, casualty evacuation and other resources from major bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A source with knowledge of events on the ground in Syria <\/a>told Military Times that he has seen no movement or signs of a withdrawal of commandos from that country. The source talked to Military Times on condition on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\t