Biden hosts Iraqi PM at White House to talk end of US combat mission

President Biden on Monday hosted Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House to announce a planned end to the US military’s combat mission in Iraq.

The largely symbolic announcement means US troops will transfer most combat duties to Iraq’s military this year. But unlike in Afghanistan, Biden will keep a large US military footprint in Iraq.

Biden stressed that US troops aren’t leaving Iraq entirely — as happened in 2011, setting the stage for the Islamic State group to seize a third of the country, resulting in a US return in 2014.