Chairman McCaul on Potential Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Iraq

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement on reports that the Biden-Harris administration may withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq despite continued threats posed by ISIS and affiliates to U.S. national security.

"No one wants American soldiers in harm's way a second longer than needed. With this in mind, I remain deeply concerned about the possibility of committing to a time-bound withdrawal from Iraq as we see an uptick in ISIS attacks across the Middle East, and ISIS infiltration across the U.S. southern border. In 2011, we withdrew from Iraq before our counterterrorism mission was complete. Just a few years later, ISIS had overrun the country and established a so-called 'caliphate.' Any U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq needs to be conditions based. Our Iraqi partners must demonstrate their ability to effectively take over the D-ISIS mission independent of coalition support, and must show sustained progress toward achieving ISIS' lasting defeat. It should not be driven by arbitrary, politically motivated deadlines."

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