WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is expected to begin dialogue with the Iraqi government about the future presence of the 2,500 US troops who remain in the country in the wake of the war against the Islamic State group.
A US military official said Washington and Baghdad are “close to a consensus on starting” the discussions, which were agreed to in Aug. 2023 in order to plan ways to transform the US-led international troop presence in Iraq into a normal defense and security relationship.
Why now: The dialogue under the so-called…


