There are 'hurdles' to overcome before U.S. troops pull out of Iraq - Esper

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Tuesday that 'procedural hurdles' would have to be overcome by the Iraqi government before U.S. troops would pull out of Iraq, should Iraq request a U.S. exit following the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

Speaking to reporters just days after the killing of Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Esper said that Iraqis still 'recognized the strategic importance' of having a partnership with the U.S.