The Defense Department released a letter Monday sketching out plans to “reposition forces” in Iraq to “prepare for onward movement.” While the letter raises almost as many questions as it answers, it is a direct response to the Iraqi parliament’s vote to expel U.S. forces in the wake of the Trump administration’s assassination, in Iraq, of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
The letter, addressed to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, cites “due deference to the sovereignty of Iraq” and “your sovereign decision to order our departure” as the reason for the “onward movement.”
The only timeline offered for the repositioning in preparation for onward movement is “the coming days and weeks.” At the same time, the Defense Department is sending 4,500 sailors and Marines “to prepare to support Middle East operations,” The Washington Post reported, while CNN’s Barbara Starr reported that the Defense Department is moving B-52 bombers to be available for use against Iran.