Iraqi PM supports U.S. forces presence in Iraq

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, defended the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq and set no timetable for their withdrawal, according to Wall Street Journal.

Al-Sudani signaled a less confrontational posture toward Washington early in his term than his Iran-backed political allies have taken, Wall Street Journal reported.

“We think that we need the foreign forces,” Al-Sudani said in his first U.S. interview since taking office in October, referring to the American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troop contingents that train and assist Iraqi units in countering ISIS militants but largely stay out of combat, Wall Street Journal mentioned.

“Elimination of ISIS needs some more time,” Al-Sudani added.

The U.S. forces in Iraq were attacked several times by Iraqi pro-Iranian groups last year. The last of these attacks was on December 20, when missiles were fired at the Green Zone in the capital, Baghdad, where the premises of the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters of other government and foreign organizations and agencies are located.

Iraq announced at the end of 2021 the end of the combat missions of the international coalition forces and their official withdrawal from the country, and moving to an advisory mission to assist the Iraqi forces.