US Defense Secretary Mark Esper denied Monday that the White House was preparing to pull troops out of Iraq. The announcement came after a top US general in the country gave his Iraqi counterpart a letter saying American forces would be exiting the country over the next days and weeks.

The head of the US military's Task Force Iraq, Brigadier General William Seely, had sent the letter to Iraq's joint operation command, a copy of which was seen by multiple news outlets including Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

Read more: Pressure mounts in Iraq to boot out US troops

"Sir, in deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, CJTF-OIR will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement," reads the letter.

The letter said US-led coalition forces against the "Islamic State" (IS) would take measures to ensure the "movement out of Iraq" is conducted safely and efficiently. It said there would be increased helicopter traffic in and around the Green Zone as part of the preparations.

Watch video 02:14 Share Iran mourns, vows revenge Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3VlUg Iran mourns, vows revenge

'No decision whatsoever to leave Iraq'

But the Pentagon later denied it had any intention to withdraw US forces.

"There's been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said.

"I don't know what that letter is ... We're trying to find out where that's coming from, what that is. But there's been no decision made to leave Iraq. Period."

Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said the letter was "genuine" but not intended to be sent at this time.

"This was a mistake from McKenzie," Milley told reporters, referring to US Central Command commander General Frank McKenzie. "It shouldn't have been sent."

In or out?

On Sunday, the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution to ask 5,200 American troops to leave the country. It still needs to be approved by the government, which is currently headed by caretaker officials, including interim Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who had stepped down due to mass anti-government protests. He, however, supports the resolution.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said earlier Monday that neither Germany nor any other country involved in the anti-IS coalition would remain in Iraq without Baghdad's approval.

The Bundeswehr is set to "temporarily" transfer German soldiers out of Iraq, according to a letter provided to the Defense and Foreign Ministries and seen by German broadcaster ARD. They are likely to be transferred to nearby Jordan and Kuwait, as Berlin waits to see how tensions play out between the US and Iran.

Sunday's vote in parliament came following outrage over US airstrikes in Baghdad on Friday that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, among eight others.

On Monday, Abdul-Mahdi met with US Ambassador Matthew Tueller, telling him that the two countries needed "to work together to execute the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.''

Watch video 06:01 Share 'Iraqi security will rely on American military help' Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Vnec 'Iraqi security will rely on American military help'

Trump threatens sanctions

President Donald Trump was angry over the Iraqi parliament vote and threatened sanctions if the government expelled US troops. He also said the US wouldn't leave without being reimbursed for military investments made in Iraq.

"We will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before, ever. It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame,'' Trump said Sunday.

US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, only to return in 2014 at the invitation of the government to help battle IS. The terrorist group was defeated in 2017 in Iraq, but it still carries out hit-and-run attacks in the west and north of the country.

Pro-Iran Shiite militia groups and politicians have led the push to expel the United States from the country, threatening to attack US forces if they don't leave. US forces have come under repeated rocket attacks in recent weeks, with Washington blaming them on pro-Iran Shiite militia.

Iraq's UN Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Bahr Aluloom urged the UN Security Council on Monday to take action and ensure "Iraq is not dragged into international and regional crises."

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures Coffin passed through the crowd The coffin of slain general Qassem Soleimani was passed among the crowd in Tehran, allowing them a chance to touch the sarcophagus. The remains of the general, killed by US airstrikes in Baghdad, were flown back to Tehran on Monday. Crowds chanted "Death to America!" and "Revenge! Revenge!"

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures Ayatollah weeps Supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei burst into tears while he led a prayer over the coffin of the general. Khameini called for "severe revenge" on the US. Soleimani's replacement as Quds leader, Esmail Qaani, right, also showed emotion on the same day as he called for a complete withdrawal of US troops from the region.

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures Biggest funeral since 1989 While Iranian state TV placed the number of mourners at over one million, outside estimates believe that the number was actually less. Nevertheless, this is largest funeral Iran has seen since that of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures A popular leader Soleimani was a popular military leader whose death has been met by open grief by many within the Iranian military. An unnamed Quds general lay and wept over his coffin. Soleimani spearheaded military operations in the area.

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures Soleimani's daughter: a 'dark day' for the US The general's daughter, Zeinab Soleimani, spoke during the funeral procession, calling for the US to remove all troops from Iran. She said a "dark day" was to come for the US. "Crazy Trump, don't think that everything is over with my father's martyrdom," she said.

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures 'We're all Soleimani' Soleimani was a national hero to many Iranians, even those who did not consider themselves devoted followers of Iran's clerical rulers. Soleimani's death has united Iranian people across the religious and political spectrum.

Iran: Qassem Soleimani funeral — in pictures A military 'hero' Crowds with Iranian flags gather in front of a large image of Soleimani being awarded the Order of Zolfaghar, the highest military honor in Iran. Soleimani has been heralded as a military "hero." Streets were brought to a standstill because of the number of mourners. Author: Elliot Douglas



ls, cw/cmk (AFP, Reuters)

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