WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is negotiating a proposal with the Iraqi government for a continued presence of US troops in Iraq even after the ongoing campaign against the militant Islamic State militants is over, officials say.

The US media reported earlier this week that the Trump administration also wants to keep American and Nato troops in Afghanistan for as long as it takes to stabilise that war-torn country.

Such reports indicate that the US military involvement in both Afghanistan and Iraq will continue, at least in the foreseeable future.

“Largely, the presence of the force there seems to be a stabilising presence,” said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, when asked if he could foresee an expanded footprint of US troops in the country.

At a news briefing at the Pentagon, Col. Dorrian also said since the beginning of 2015 the US has trained more than 96,000 Iraqi security forces but the need to replenish these forces with fresh troops would require continued US military presence in the country.

But a US and Iraqi officials told the US Military Times newspaper that Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has directly asked the Trump administration to keep American troops in his country even after the fight against the IS group is concluded.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2017