Leaked US letter to Iraq continues to cause whirlwind of confusion

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said he is seeking clarification from Washington over two versions of a letter from the US army concerning a possible withdrawal of its troops from Iraq.

During a televised cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister said the letter's English and Arabic language versions were not identical, and Iraq has accordingly requested clarifications from Washington.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper responded to Mahdi's statements during an interview on CNN, saying the letter in question was the same "draft letter" leaked on Monday that had already been recanted as a "mistake". 

 The "draft letter" was not intended to be released or sent, Esper said, adding that the correspondence "has no value whatsoever". 

Abdul Mahdi said that if the letter in question were indeed a mistake, the US should send another clarifying the mix-up.