Iraqi officials visit Pentagon for talks on US troop pull-out

US-led coalition has been in the country for a decade to tackle threat from ISIS

ISIS militants hold up their flag as they patrol on a commandeered Iraqi military vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2013. AP

US and Iraqi officials met at the Pentagon on Monday for the latest talks on ending the presence of the American-led coalition in Iraq.

Combat forces left Iraq in 2011 after the 2003 invasion, but thousands were sent back in 2014 to help Baghdad defeat ISIS.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said in January that the government was beginning the process of removing US forces, despite some concerns over the Iraqi military's ability to independently keep ISIS at bay.

The long US presence, and a series of strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, created political pressure for Mr Al Sudani to ask the Americans to leave.

The US and Iraq are trying to recast their future ties as an “enduring bilateral security partnership”.

The US delegation at this week's talks include Central Command officers and officials from other departments.

The Iraqi delegation includes officials from Iraq's Ministry of Defence and armed forces, the Counter-terrorism Service and the Kurdish Peshmerga, the Pentagon said.

Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said officials are looking at ISIS's operational capabilities.

Those at the Pentagon talks “will take information and recommendations … with an eye towards looking towards the future of the coalition, but then also the bilateral security co-operation between the US and Iraq”, Maj Gen Ryder said.

In 2014, thousands of US and international troops were sent to the region to help fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

About 2,500 US troops remain in Iraq in an advisory and training capacity.