(Bloomberg) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi will discuss the withdrawal of the American combat troops with U.S. officials, as well as plans for the remaining soldiers to train its forces.
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Iraq’s troops were ready and are undertaking the responsibility to fight Islamic State militants, but they still need training and intelligence backup, Kadhimi said in an interview with the Al-Arabiya channel.
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“There is no need for the combat troops,” he said.
Kadhimi reiterated that Iraq didn’t want to be a conflict arena between U.S. and Iran, and that he’s working with both sides.
Other highlights from the interview:
- On talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Kadhimi said the rounds of discussions will continue to find a solution for their concerns.
- The attempt to target power transfer towers are still ongoing where Iraq produced 20.5 gigawatt and is expected to finish the power grid link with the gulf countries by 2022. It’s also working to link with Jordan, Egypt and Turkey to diversify power import sources.
- Iran is still committed to export gas and electricity to Iraq, he said. Both countries signed an agreement scheduling debts and there is a progress, he said. Iraq has spent $80 billion on the electricity field since 2003.
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