Iraqi PM says Baghdad wants US-led coalition to quickly leave Iraq
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. Photo: Reuters
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, stated on Tuesday that Iraq has not set a date for the swift and orderly negotiation of the withdrawal of US-led military forces from its territory, describing their presence as destabilizing considering the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Prolonged demands for the withdrawal of the US-led coalition from Iraq by primarily Shiite Muslim groups, many of whom are connected to Iran, have gathered momentum following a series of US strikes on armed groups with ties to Iran that are also affiliated with the country’s official security services, according to Reuters.
Fears that Iraq may once again become a place of regional conflict have been aroused by those strikes, which were carried out in retaliation for scores of drone and missile attacks on American soldiers since Israel began its war on Gaza.
Al-Sudani told Reuters that it is important to rearrange the relationship between Baghdad and the international coalition to ensure that it is not used as a target by any internal or external party to undermine the stability of Iraq and the region.
The Iraqi Prime Minister noted the importance of a timeline for the coalition’s withdrawal that is short to prevent the forces from staying too long and the attacks from continuing.
Al-Sudani pointed out that the possibility of regional escalation could only be eliminated by ending Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Pentagon said on Monday that it was not presently intending to withdraw its 2,500 personnel from the country.
“Right now, I’m not aware of any plans. We continue to remain very focused on the defeat of the ISIS mission,” the Pentagon Press Secretary, Major General Pat Ryder, said.
“U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of its government,” Ryder added.
Al-Sudani said last week that the government is assembling a committee to plan the withdrawal of the foreign coalition led by the United States from the country.
The Prime Minister’s remarks took place a day after a US attack in Baghdad killed a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), provoking Iran-backed groups, which called for ending the presence of the US-led coalition in Iraq.
According to the Pentagon, the US military carried out an airstrike last Thursday in retaliation for recent attacks on US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria.
900 US soldiers are stationed in neighboring Syria and 2,500 in Iraq in an effort to stop ISIS terrorists from rising again.
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October, US and international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 100 times, most often by a combination of missiles and one-way attack drones.