Iraqi PM holds phone call with US Secretary of State over US exit from Syria
Xinhua
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(Photo: Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has held a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the US plan to withdraw forces from neighboring Syria, Abdul Mahdi's office said Saturday.

"Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi received a phone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who explained the details of the scheduled pullout from Syria, and confirmed that the United States is still committed to fighting the Islamic State (IS) and terrorism in Iraq and other areas," the office said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mahdi told Pompeo that Syria's security and political settlement have "a direct relationship with the security in Iraq and the stability in the region," according to the statement.

The phone call came days after US President Donald Trump declared a plan to withdraw all US troops from Syria, citing the full defeat of IS militants in the country.

These troops were part of a US-led coalition which has been fighting and conducting airstrikes against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.