Massive Demonstration in Baghdad Demands the Removal of Foreign Forces
On January 24, hundreds of thousands of people of all ages demonstrated
in Baghdad to demand that foreign troops be immediately withdrawn from
Iraq. They held aloft signs that read "No, no to America" and "No, no
to occupation," and others imploring the families of U.S. soldiers to
"Insist on the withdrawal of your sons from our country or prepare
their coffins."
Presently, there are some 8,000 foreign troops in Iraq that are part of
a U.S.-led coalition of forces said to be fighting the Islamic State
(IS). Of these, 5,200 are U.S. forces. A separate NATO mission, led by
Canada, consists of 500 foreign troops.
On January 5, the Iraqi parliament voted for foreign troops to leave
Iraq. Shortly after the coalition's activities and the NATO
mission were said to have been suspended. However, Iraqi government
officials are reportedly considering replacing the anti-IS coalition
forces with an increased NATO presence.
"We are talking to the coalition countries -- France, the UK, Canada --
about a range of scenarios," said Abdelkarim Khalaf, spokesman for
Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi. "The essential thing is that no combat
troops are present and our airspace is no longer used," Khalaf told a
news agency, on January 29.
On January 30, the Iraqi military issued a statement that joint
military operations with the U.S.-led coalition would resume. "In light
of continued activities by the terrorist group [IS] in many areas of
Iraq and for the purpose of making use of the remaining time of the
international coalition before organizing a new relationship [...] it
was decided to carry out joint actions," the statement said.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 2 - February 1, 2020
Article Link:
Massive Demonstration in Baghdad Demands the Removal of Foreign Forces
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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