Iraq Prepares to Expel U.S.-Led Occupation Forces
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says his government is forming a committee to prepare arrangements for the permanent dissolution of the occupying U.S.-led coalition's mission in the country. Sudani made the announcement in a statement on January 5, a day after a U.S. drone strike in eastern Baghdad on the headquarters of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, killed three people including a commander of the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba resistance movement.
In an address, al-Sudani said the agreement under which American troops are based in Iraq states the equal sovereignty of both countries, which was violated by the U.S. strike.
"We have repeatedly emphasized that in the event of a violation or transgression by any Iraqi party, or if Iraqi law is violated, the Iraqi government is the only party that has the right to follow up on the merits of these violations," al-Sudani said.
"We affirm our firm and principled position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended," he added.
"It is a commitment that the government will not back down from, and will not neglect anything that would complete national sovereignty over the land, sky, and waters of Iraq," the Prime Minister said.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder showed no remorse for the targeted U.S. killing in Baghdad. The Hill reported that on January 4 Ryder "said that the U.S. is in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to defeat the U.S.-designated terrorist group ISIS, but he stressed forces will take action to protect themselves."
The Hill report continues: "'This was a necessary, proportionate act,' Ryder said, adding Iraq is an 'important and valued partner,' which the U.S. seeks to maintain good ties with."
Al-Sudani replied by once again condemning the U.S. strike and saying Iraq will not back down from defending its sovereignty. Referring to U.S. propaganda that Iran-backed terrorist militias operate in Iraq, al-Sudani said the Popular Mobilization Forces are "an official presence affiliated with the [Iraqi] state."
The U.S. combat mission in Iraq ended on December 9, 2021 with the U.S. leaving 2,500 troops in the country on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of ISIS.
On January 4, ISIS claimed responsibility for two explosions in Iran that killed nearly 100 people and wounded many more at a memorial for Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad airport in 2020.
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 3 - January 10, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54033.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca