Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Iraqi Minister of Defense Thabit Al-Abbasi in the Pentagon on July 23 at the conclusion of the second U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue (JSCD) to discuss the transition of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) and the future of the U.S.-Iraq bilateral defense partnership.
The Secretary and Minister Al-Abbasi discussed the transition of the mission of CJTF-OIR, the military mission in Iraq of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS; security cooperation; and military-to-military cooperation and engagement, including military exercises. In raising those topics, Secretary Austin re-affirmed the U.S. commitment to Iraq's sovereignty, security, and stability.
The JSCD, co-chaired by Minister Al-Abbasi and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Dr. Celeste Wallander, convened from July 22-23 at the Pentagon. The 2024 JSCD builds upon discussions held during Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's visit to Washington, D.C. in April of this year and last summer's inaugural JSCD. The dialogue built upon the work of the U.S. Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC) over the past six months and took note of the upcoming ten-year anniversary of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS's military mission in Iraq. The two sides confirmed the importance of Iraq continuing to provide support to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Syria and around the world.
The Secretary and Minister Al-Abbasi discussed the importance of all concerned nations supporting voluntary repatriations of displaced persons located in northeast Syria, on Iraq's western border, to their communities of origin. The Secretary thanked Iraq for repatriations of its own nationals effected this year already. Both U.S. and Iraqi officials agreed that repatriations represent an important line of effort in the continued fight against ISIS.
The two leaders also discussed details of security cooperation and military-to-military engagements, which will support greater interoperability by our militaries and strengthen the bonds between the United States and Iraq.
Secretary Austin and Minister Al-Abbasi committed to continue to consult one another to strengthen our bilateral security partnership.
