JUMPING THE GUN

Pentagon Initially Told Capitol Hill Iraq Withdrawal Letter Was Fake, Report Says

A staffer in the Pentagon policy office reportedly told lawmakers that the letter announcing U.S. withdrawal wasn’t authentic.

The Pentagon initially told lawmakers on Capitol Hill the letter announcing U.S. withdrawal from Iraq was faked, a report has claimed. The letter, penned by Marine two-star general William H. Seely III on Monday and sent to the Iraqi defense ministry, said the U.S. military command would be “repositioning forces” in the near future as preparation “for onward movement,” seemingly out of Iraq. After Seeley’s letter was circulated on social media, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the letter was a mistake that shouldn't have been drafted or released. However, The Dispatch reports the Pentagon initially told lawmakers the letter was “active disinformation” and almost certainly faked. Annie Dreazen, a staffer in the Pentagon policy office, reportedly responded to an inquiry from the House Armed Service Committee: “[Operation Inherent Resolve] has confirmed with us at the working level that this is active disinformation.”