Iraq-US security talks resume in Washington as tensions grow with Iran-backed militias

The US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue resumed in Washington on Monday, announced US Ambassador to Iraq Alina L. Romanowski via the X platform. This development follows recent drone attacks by Iran-backed militias on a base housing US forces in Iraq after months of détente. 

"Today starts the US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue in D.C., where security officials from the U.S. and Iraq will discuss the future of the coalition mission and strengthening security cooperation between our nations," Romanowski stated in a post on the X platform, without providing additional details.

The dialogue comes amid escalating tensions in Iraq, where two armed drones targeted Ain al-Asad airbase—home to US and international forces and located in al-Anbar Governorate of western Iraq—according to Iraqi military sources who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday. An Iraqi militia has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The New Arab attempted to contact Basim al-Awadi, spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, but received no immediate response. Attempts to reach the US Department of Defence by email also did not elicit a reply by the time of publication.

According to Reuters, Iraq wants US-led coalition troops to begin withdrawing in September and end their mission by September 2025, though some US forces may stay in an advisory role. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that discussions are ongoing in Washington to plan the transition based on the threat from ISIS.

Ali al-Fatlawi, a leader of the "Ansar Allah al-Awfia" movement, commented on the situation, telling Shafaq News Agency, "The Iraqi resistance factions had previously paused operations against Americans in Iraq to allow the Iraqi government to negotiate with the US for their withdrawal. However, delays and US support for Israel's actions in Gaza have led to a resumption of military operations. Any US response could escalate attacks against American targets in Iraq."

In a related incident, an explosion ripped through logistics warehouses belonging to former pro-Iran paramilitaries south of Baghdad on Thursday, officials said.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known, and Hashed al-Shaabi (the Arabic name for the Popular Mobilisation Forces) has assigned a committee to investigate. Firefighters were battling the blaze, and a security source confirmed that the explosion occurred in a warehouse storing equipment belonging to Hashed al-Shaabi. A Hashed official did not rule out the possibility of an "air strike."

The Hashed al-Shaabi is an integral part of the Iraqi security apparatus under the authority of the prime minister.

It includes some pro-Iran groups which have carried out dozens of attacks against US forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

In February, discussions resumed on the future of the US-led coalition’s presence in Iraq, following a request from Prime Minister al-Sudani, who has called for an end to the coalition’s mission.

In May, the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah renewed its call for US troop withdrawal, expressing dissatisfaction with what it perceived as a lack of seriousness on the part of both the US and the Iraqi government regarding the withdrawal issue.

As regional tensions have risen due to Israel's war on Gaza, US troops have faced numerous attacks in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. 

The US considers Kataeb Hezbollah a terrorist organization and has targeted its operations in recent strikes. A drone attack in January killed three US personnel in Jordan, near the Syrian border, leading Kataeb Hezbollah to announce a temporary suspension of attacks on US forces.

Currently, the US maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group, which was deployed at the Iraqi government’s request in 2014 to counter IS's significant territorial gains.