Iraqi military spokesman says government is moving toward end of foreign military presence

The Iraqi News Agency quoted Major General Yahya Rasoul, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, as saying that the Iraqi government is moving towards ending the foreign military presence in the country.

The military spokesman pointed to the imminent activation of the joint committee between Iraq and the international coalition to schedule the withdrawal of the coalition from Iraq and to review the nature of the relationship in general.

Rasoul confirmed that reports that additional foreign forces have entered Iraq are not true.

On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiyaa al-Sudani reiterated his call for the departure of the international coalition fighting ISIL from Iraq, saying the end of the foreign troops' mission is "necessary for the country's security and stability".

Al-Sudani said that there is no longer any justification for the presence of the international coalition, adding: "Today the security situation, as all specialists in Iraq and friends have testified, is that (ISIS) does not represent a threat to the Iraqi state," but the Pentagon spokesman said Thursday that he was not aware of any official request from the Iraqi side.

Washington has deployed some 2,500 troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition formed in 2014 to combat IS.