Iraq agreed to the plan to request the US to withdraw its troops
1 . Internally, Iraq has agreed with a plan to request the US-led military coalition against IS to withdraw troops from the country.
Qasim al-Araji, Iraq's national security adviser, announced that a consensus had been reached among all major political factions in Iraq to end the presence of the US-led military coalition in Middle Eastern country.
"There is consensus on the withdrawal of foreign forces. The Iraqi government will sign bilateral security agreements with countries in the anti-IS coalition," Mr. al-Araji said.
Our security forces have developed significantly and have a lot of experience in dealing with the challenges of terrorism," said Mr. al-Araji. He also hinted that the US "train, advise and assist" mission in Iraq was no longer necessary.
Iraq's National Security Council, headed by Mr. al-Araji, is the powerful agency responsible for coordinating the country's foreign policy, intelligence and national security strategy, and reports directly to with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani.
The United States currently has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 troops in Iraq in a mission that Washington describes as advising and assisting local forces to prevent the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist organization ( IS). IS seized large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 before being defeated.
US bases in Iraq and Syria have suffered a series of missile and UAV attacks from armed groups in the region since October 2023 when the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza.
The US responded by attacking armed groups on Iraqi territory without prior notice. The US has raided a number of pro-Iranian security organizations linked to the Iraqi state
This move faced opposition from Iraq and Baghdad, saying it went beyond the spirit and content of the international military coalition's mission in this country to fight IS. Therefore, Iraq asked the US to negotiate an end to its military presence in the territory.
Previously, the Pentagon had emphasized that it was Baghdad that invited US forces to help fight IS. In addition, the US also defended the attacks it carried out on Iraqi territory, saying these were necessary and proportionate actions.
2 .American super tanks appeared near Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew its troops
Ukraine received 31 US-made Abrams tanks a few months ago, but only recently did this super tank appear near Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine.
Igor Kimakovsky, advisor to the person authorized by Russia to control Donetsk, said that Russian forces for the first time discovered M1 Abrams main battle tanks produced by the US and aided to Ukraine appearing on the Donbass front, specifically possibly northwest of the city of Avdiivka , where Moscow recently gained control.
Also in a video released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on February 23, an Abrams tank of the 47th Mechanized Brigade moved on snowy terrain and then opened fire on Russian positions.
This is the first time Abrams tanks have appeared on the Ukrainian battlefield since the country received them from the US last year. The official did not provide further details on the number of Abrams vehicles seen, their apparent combat readiness or how Ukrainian commanders deployed them.
Abrams tanks possess a 120mm gun, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7mm gun. This tank can reach a maximum speed of 67km/h with a crew of 4 people. Besides the appearance of Abrams, Mr. Kimakovsky also noted that the Ukrainian military is actively using drones near Avdiivka.
At the end of January 2023, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington would provide Kiev with 31 M1 Abrams tanks, enough to equip an armored battalion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last September that the first units had arrived in Ukraine, and deliveries were expected to be completed by mid-October.
However, since then, these tanks have been notably absent from the battlefield, and some Western experts believe that Kiev may keep them in reserve for a major attack later, or may have believes that Abrams tanks will not be effective in winter conditions against Russia's solid defense system. Mr. Zelensky commented in November 2023: "I hope there will be more deliveries, but I cannot confirm that they are playing an important role on the battlefield. The quantity is too small."
Ukraine is facing a series of defeats on the battlefield and is struggling for more aid from Western allies. In the US, the foreign aid bill remains stalled in the House of Representatives as it faces opposition from some Republicans. In a recent interview, Mr. Zelensky warned that millions of Ukrainians could die because of the war with Russia if lawmakers did not pass President Joe's $60 billion aid bill. Biden.
Responding to the statement of US Senator J.D. Vance that the outcome of the war will not change even if Ukraine receives aid, the Ukrainian President said: "To understand the situation, it is necessary to go to the front line to see what is happening, it is necessary to talk to people to understand what will happen to them without this aid package. He will know that millions of people will die. That is the truth."
