Military officials in Iraq say the government has told its military not to seek assistance from the U.S.-led coalition in operations against the Islamic State group. The development comes amid a prevailing crisis of mistrust between Washington and Baghdad after a Washington-directed strike killed a top Iranian general and an Iraqi militia commander. The step shows that while the Iraqí leadership’s demands for an immediate removal of American forces has cooled, they are serious about rethinking the strategic relationship. The officials say Iraq is seeking to minimize coalition assistance, while a coalition spokesperson said Iraqis had not requested assistance with airstrikes since the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3.
