Washington. July 26. INTERFAX-The role of the US contingent in Iraq is changing, the US military will devote more time to training personnel and consultations, White House press Secretary Jennifer Psaki said on Monday.
"The real statement that will be made today, the real news today will be a change in the (nature - IF) of the mission, and the number of military personnel will be determined in the future by what is needed for a different mission," she said at a briefing.
"It's more about having more opportunities with training, counseling than we have had in the last few years," Psaki explained.
She recalled that the United States and Iraq continue a strategic dialogue, and if at its launch the American contingent numbered 9 thousand people, now its number is about 2.5 thousand.
Earlier on Monday, the Associated Press reported, citing unnamed US officials, that American President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadimi, following talks in Washington on Monday, intend to announce that they have agreed to finally complete the American combat mission on Iraqi territory by the end of 2021.
It is expected that after the completion of the combat mission, the US military in Iraq will be engaged exclusively in training the Iraqi military. Also, US military advisers will remain in the country.
