Top U.S. and Iraqi officials are in talks to keep U.S. troops in Iraq after the defeat of the Islamic State, two unnamed U.S. and Iraqi officials said, Reuters reported May 4. The officials made clear that no deal on keeping U.S. troops in Iraq has been concluded, but both countries agree that a prolonged U.S. military presence in the country would be mutually beneficial, according to the U.S. official. What that presence would look like is still being worked out, though U.S. forces would reportedly number in the thousands and would be stationed inside Iraqi military bases around Mosul and the border with Syria, according to comments from both officials. The troops would continue to be designated as advisers, avoiding the need for Iraq's parliament to approve their presence in the country.