Iraq moving to remove US-led military coalition, prime minister says

BRAD DRESS

Source Link

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday said he would set up a dialogue to discuss the removal of the U.S. military presence in his country after an American strike killed an Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad on Thursday.

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 in remarks shared by his office.

“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.

The prime minister said he was in the process of setting up a bilateral dialogue with the U.S. to discuss the removal of some 2,500 American troops in his country.

“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,” he said.

The U.S. strike on Thursday killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, the leader of an Iranian-backed militia group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN), after landing near a security headquarters in Baghdad.

HHN is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a network of Iranian proxy groups and militias in Iraq. Iranian-backed groups have repeatedly attacked U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and the Red Sea since the breakout of the Israel-Hamas war.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday 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.

“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, who is closely aligned with Iranian-backed militias, on Friday condemned the U.S. for the strike and said the Popular Mobilization Forces are “an official presence affiliated with the state.”