Remaining U.S. troops in Iraq should stay as the part of the international coalition fight against the Daesh terror group, an American delegation said Wednesday.

Axar.az reports citing Turkish media.

The U.S. delegation led by congressman John Garamendi met top Iraqi officials, including premier Adil Abdul-Mahdi, parliament speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi and Kurdish leader Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday, according to statement.

“U.S. military servicemen give support for Iraqi security forces by the request of Iraqi government, and they should remain in Iraq as the part of international coalition in order to completely remove Daesh,” the statement said.

After a meeting with Garamendi Tuesday, the head of Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government, Barzani, emphasized the importance of the U.S. military presence to prevent the threat of terrorism.

The U.S. military presence has been a hot issue in Iraq. Some parties want the U.S. removed from the country and 55 Iraqi lawmakers tabled a motion to the parliament for a decision.

The U.S. occupied Iraq in 2003 with 165,000 troops until December 2011, after which then-U.S. President Barack Obama ordered all troops withdrawn from Iraq.

However, after the emergence of the Daesh terrorist organization in 2014, Washington sent troops back to Iraq in line with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's demand.