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Iraq Says U.S. Forces Withdrawing There From Syria Don’t Have Permission to Stay

The Pentagon has insisted that all of its nearly 1,000 troops withdrawing from northern Syria will move to western Iraq.

The Iraqi military has warned the Pentagon that U.S. forces that crossed into Iraq as part of a sudden pullout from Syria don’t have permission to stay. The Pentagon has previously insisted that all of its nearly 1,000 troops withdrawing from northern Syria will move to western Iraq to continue fighting ISIS and “to help defend Iraq.” But Iraq’s military has said American troops can only be there in transit, saying in a statement: “All U.S. forces that withdrew from Syria received approval to enter the Kurdistan Region so that they may be transported outside Iraq. There is no permission granted for these forces to stay inside Iraq.” An extra 1,000 U.S. troops in Iraq would be a significant addition to the 5,000 American troops already based in the country.