Iraq: American troops leaving Syria cannot stay in Iraq

US troops leaving Syria and heading to neighbouring Iraq do not have permission to stay in the country, Iraq's military said Tuesday as American forces continued to pull out of northern Syria after Turkey's invasion of the border region.

The statement appears to contradict U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who has said that under the current plan, all US troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military would continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State group to prevent its resurgence in the region.

On Tuesday, Esper said he plans to talk to Iraqi leaders to work out details about the US plan to send American troops withdrawing from Syria to Iraq, adding that the US has no plans to have those troops stay in Iraq "interminably."
He said the aim is to pull US soldiers out and "eventually get them home."