U.S.-led coalition in Iraq should only play "training and advising" role: president

BAGHDAD, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said Tuesday that the U.S.-led coalition's mission in his country should be limited to training and advising Iraqi security forces in accordance with its agreement with the Iraqi government.

Rashid made the remarks during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski, according to a statement from the president's office.

He also expressed concern about the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and its impact on the stability of the Middle East. The president urged the international community, especially the United States, to take responsibility for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For her part, Romanowski emphasized the importance of strengthening relations and coordination between Iraq and the U.S. on common issues and voiced support for international efforts to resolve the situation in Palestine, the statement said.

On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani vowed to end the presence of foreign troops in Iraq after a series of U.S. strikes killed Iraqi security personnel and militia leaders earlier this month.

The prime minister said his government would soon begin talks with the coalition through a committee to arrange foreign troops' withdrawal, calling it "a commitment that the government will not back down from."