Iraq wants to boot out US troops — RT World News

Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani promised to launch an operation to expel international coalition forces from Iraq, after a US air strike killed a high-ranking militia commander in Baghdad, nearly four years after Washington assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a drone. He hits.

A US airstrike hit the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization made up of dozens of armed factions, on Thursday. At least two people were killed in the attack, including Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, the leader of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, which Washington has designated a terrorist group allegedly backed by Iran.

He added, “The Popular Mobilization Forces represent an official presence affiliated with the state, subject to it, and an integral part of our armed forces.” This was stated by the Iraqi Prime Minister, on Friday. “We condemn the attacks targeting our security forces, which go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that established the international coalition.”

The Pentagon insisted that Baghdad itself had called on US forces to help fight the Islamic State (ISIS, formerly ISIS), and that about 2,500 soldiers still in the country after a decade were free to operate in Iraq. “Self-defense,” Especially amid the recent attacks on its settlement sites. Gen. Pat Ryder's press secretary defended the January 4 strike as a strike “Necessary and proportionate action.”

Baghdad said that the time had come to review the terms of that invitation, and Al-Sudani promised to do so He added: “Start the dialogue through the bilateral committee that was formed to determine the arrangements for ending this presence.”

He added: “We affirm our principled position to end the presence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended.” He added, stressing that Baghdad seeks to restore its entirety “National sovereignty over the land, sky and waters of Iraq.”

US military bases in Iraq, as well as illegal settlement sites in neighboring Syria, have been attacked by drones and missiles on more than 110 occasions since October, amid regional tensions resulting from the Israeli war in Gaza. Most of the attacks were carried out by unknown parties, but Washington accused Tehran of pulling the strings behind the scenes and reserved the right to respond as it saw fit.

He added: “We have repeatedly stressed that if a violation or transgression occurs by any Iraqi party, or if Iraqi law is violated, the Iraqi government is the only party that has the right to pursue the merits of these violations.” The Iraqi Prime Minister said. He accused Washington of routinely violating Iraq's sovereignty, recalling another “Heinous act” It was committed by the American administration four years ago.

General Qasem Soleimani, a revered figure in Iran, was killed in a US drone strike authorized by former US President Donald Trump in Baghdad, Iraq on January 3, 2020. At the time, Washington claimed that Soleimani was planning a military operation. “imminent” Attack on American forces. On the fourth anniversary of his death, two explosions occurred at a memorial in Iran, killing nearly 100 people and wounding hundreds more. ISIS terrorists quickly claimed responsibility for the atrocities in a post on the Telegram app, while the United States insisted that Washington played no role in the bombings.