Russia offers to replace U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq as they head to leave

Shafaq News/ Russia is ready to help Iraq strengthen its military capabilities to replace those of the U.S.-led coalition, RIA news agency quoted a senior Russian diplomat as saying on Thursday.

Alexander Kinshchak, head of the Middle East and North Africa department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in a televised interview that Russia "always supports the efforts of Iraq to ensure stability, security, law and order in this friendly country."

"We are ready to provide assistance, including in the field of bolstering the Iraqi armed forces," Kinshchak said.

The Iraqi parliament has passed a resolution calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops, and the government has said it is working on a mechanism to implement it.

The United States has about 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq, which are part of a U.S.-led coalition that participated in the battle against the Islamic State militants in the country since 2014.

Russia has been a close ally of Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. It has provided military and economic assistance to Iraq, and has helped to train Iraqi security forces.

In recent years, Russia has also been expanding its military presence in the Middle East, and has established a naval base in Tartus, Syria.