ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Defense on Monday rejected media reports suggesting there was “a deal” or negotiations with Washington to deploy troops to Syria after the US announced a withdrawal of its forces.

News being “circulated on some media outlets regarding the existence of a deal or negotiations to allow the entry of Iraqi armed forces 70 kilometers into Syrian territory,” are baseless, according to a statement issued by the Defense Ministry.

“Iraqi forces are ready to counter any infiltration attempts and our forces have fully secured the Iraqi-Syrian border,” the statement read.

The ministry’s statement came in response to a report quoting “political sources,” that quickly made the rounds on Arabic media outlets, claiming that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had discussed the matter in a recent phone call with Iraq’s Prime Minister and President.

Pompeo requested Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih send forces into Syria to fill a security vacuum that may follow the US withdrawal of its forces, the report claimed.

The calls were reportedly made separately on Friday. As summarized by the State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino, “the Secretary discussed the recent territorial defeat of [the Islamic State (IS)] in Syria and underlined US commitment to Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity noting the Coalition will continue to work closely with Iraqi Security Forces to defeat [IS] remnants.”

This came two days after the White House announced it was withdrawing US forces from Syria east of the Euphrates.

The Western superpower has approximately 2,000 troops in the country where they have been backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against IS.

Editing by Nadia Riva