WASHINGTON, October 29 (RIA Novosti) — Iraq does not feel abandoned by the United States, but rather urges Washington to support the frontline in the fight against international terrorism, Iraq's Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
Iraq does not request American combat forces on the ground or wants others to "have the fight on our [Iraqi] behalf," though it still expects "others to support that frontline," Faily pointed out.
"The key outstanding question from the Iraqis has been, [whether] the United States want to partner with us with all the baggage we have had in Iraq — in relation to the security, the last ten years, the Iraq fatigueness, which people here in the United States have talked about," Faily said.
Iraqi concern is a steady American commitment to "a strategic framework on issues, ranging from security, education, economy, and other matters of statecraft," the ambassador said.
"While Americans may be weary of dealing with Iraq," Iraqis agreed to work on a strategic framework agreement with the United States and "so not have American fatigueness," Faily told RIA Novosti.
American troops, which has been present in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, left the country shifting responsibility to Iraqi military forces to maintain security in their own country.
The international anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition, launched by the United States in September, is currently conducting airstrikes against IS militants both in Syria and Iraq.
