He noted the activation of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops
Washington. December 10th. INTERFAX - The head of the Central Command of the US Armed Forces, General Frank Mackenzie, said that for the foreseeable future the US will keep the number of its military in Iraq at the current level of 2.5 thousand people.
In an interview with the Associated Press, he said that even though the US military in Iraq is not involved in hostilities, they will continue to provide air support and other military assistance to Baghdad in the fight against ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation).
Mackenzie said that attacks on the American and Iraqi military by militias, which, according to him, are supported by Iran and who are seeking the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, may become more frequent.
"They actually want all the US military to leave, but the US military is not going to leave," he said.
The Iraqi authorities, the general added, would like to maintain the presence of the US military in the country.
"So as long as they want it and we can come to a mutual agreement, we will be there," he said.
McKenzie said he believes ISIS fighters will continue to pose a threat as the group "continues to recreate itself, possibly under a different name."
In the same interview, the military commander admitted that the extremist group Al-Qaeda (banned in the Russian Federation as a terrorist group) has grown somewhat in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops.
