Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani defended the presence of US troops in his country and did not set a timetable for their withdrawal, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Sunday, Reuters and News.ro reported.

Speaking of U.S. and NATO troops training and assisting Iraqi units in the fight against the Islamic State group but remaining largely out of combat, Mohammed al-Sudani said foreign forces were still needed.

“The elimination of ISIS will take more time,” he said in an interview.

Sudani, who took over as prime minister last October, told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to send a high-level delegation to Washington for talks with US officials next month, adding that Iraq would like to have a relationship with Washington similar to to those held by Saudi Arabia. Arabia and other oil and gas producing countries of the Persian Gulf.

“I don’t think it’s impossible to make sure that Iraq has good relations with Iran and the United States,” Sudani told the newspaper.