Iraq says US troop drawdown talks will go on ‘as long as nothing disturbs the peace of the talks’

The Iraqi government met again with the U.S. government Sunday on how to draw down American troops who have been deployed there for years combating the Islamic State. In the weeks since, the U.S. has launched multiple retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria including a strike last week that killed a high-ranking commander of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia who the U.S. said is responsible for “directly planning and participating in attacks” on American troops in the region. Both Iraq and the U.S. had agreed last August to enter into talks to transition U.S. forces from their long-standing role in assisting Iraq in combating IS.