U.S., Iraq work toward normal military relations

The U.S. and Iraq are working toward establishing normal military-to-military relationship after the pullout of U.S. forces by year's end, the Pentagon said Monday. "The president said very clearly that what we're looking for is a more normal military-to-military relationship," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "That's the crux of what we' re discussing right now." The comments were made following President Barack Obama's announcement on Oct. 21 that all U.S. troops stationed in Iraq will pull out by the end of this year. After U.S. troops are pulled out from Iraq, the relationship between the two countries will be "one normal relationship between sovereign nations," the president said. About 150 U.S. forces will serve as military liaisons inside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as part of the State Department-run Office of Security Operations, as is common at other embassies around the world, Kirby said. Under a security agreement reached with Iraq in 2008, the United States would pull out all its troops from that country by Dec. 31. After ending combat mission in Iraq last year, the U.S. military's role in Iraq has been mostly about training and advising. There are about 40,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.