Iraq and the U.S. agreed to hold the second round of discussions on the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces, Baghdad said Thursday, as the U.S. continued to hit targets in Baghdad, killing at least 40 Iran-backed militants.
The foreign ministry said the second meeting will take place on Feb. 11. The first meeting was held on Jan. 27.
Iraq previously announced that an agreement had been reached with the U.S. on Jan. 25 to establish a timetable for the end of the military mission of the coalition established under the leadership of the U.S. against the Daesh/terrorist group and the gradual reduction of coalition advisors.
Bases belonging to the coalition forces have come under attack from Iran-backed militia forces many times.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said over 40 Iranian-backed militants were killed in a series of airstrikes conducted by the U.S. last week in retaliation for the killings of three American troops.
The Feb. 2 airstrikes hit dozens of targets across Iraq and Syria and the Pentagon had previously acknowledged that casualties among Iranian proxies were likely. Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the US's "initial assessments" now put that number at "over 40."
"The United States will continue to take necessary action to protect our people. And we will not hesitate to hold responsible all those who threaten the safety of our forces," he told reporters.
Ryder said the U.S. is aware of allegations that "at least one" civilian was killed during the U.S. strikes and said Central Command is reviewing the claim.
"We always take civilian harm mitigation very seriously and take all possible precautions to minimize potential harm to civilians," he said.
Turning to Wednesday's strike in Baghdad, Ryder said it killed Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Bakr al-Saadi. He denied that al-Saadi was a member of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of Iraq state-sanctioned militias.
