Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim says Iraq feels it is “very necessary that all foreign troops need to leave from our territory.”
Broadly, the Sunday vote calling for Iraq’s government to get rid of all foreign troops was centered on the US, coming just days after a US airstrike against Baghdad International Airport.
Concerned that they are going to end up hosting a major regional war, Iraq has a vested interest in getting everyone out. Protesters have already made clear they wanted Iran’s proxies to stop trying to influence the country.
Politically, since the 2003 US invasion and occupation, the US and Iran have been dominating Iraq, and many protesters want to see an independent path carved out for Iraq. This is also true in foreign policy, where Iraq seems to be constantly getting sucked into other nations’ arguments.
Iran’s ties to influential politicians make that a difficult connection to break, but the US is likely to be the real problem, since officials have insisted all week that they have made “no decision” on if they’ll leave Iraq just because Iraq orders them out, and President Trump has responded by threatening sanctions on Iraq for even asking.
Check it out, but I understand that there are no actual Iranian troops in Iraq, although some of the militias are supported by Iran. Iran does not object to the “all foreign troops out” order.
It would be nice if Iran would feel that same way about Syria too .
There were no Iranian troops in Iran (if now), prior to many other foreign troops in the country.
Trump stumbles his way into an out on Iraq and now he isn’t even going to take it.
I think the U.S. will get out of Iraq ? If the E.U. will take over where we leave off . Both Iran and Iraq might get along better with the E.U. . If there are no foreign troops in Iraq . I suspect Iran may take over Iraq
Why not let Turkey take over – at least they are the same religion.
Arabs have no interest in reviving / rejoining the Ottoman Empire.
I don’t agree with that statement I think Turkey would jump at the chance to reestablish their lost Islamic empire and extend the empire to cover the whole world .
Reread what I said, perhaps after watching Lawrence of Arabia. The Arabs are not Turks. I said “Arabs have no interest in reviving / rejoining the Ottoman Empire.” Iraq and other Arab countries were under Turkish domination for centuries and do not wish to go back to that. Do you still disagree? Or do you, like many people, also need it explained to you that most Muslims around the world are not Arabs (largest Muslim country is Indonesia). As for what Turkey wants, if that’s what you think why would you encourage them? Your position sits on shifting sands.
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the withdrawal of US troops from the country in the wake of the assassination of Iran’s Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).
According to a statement released by the Iraqi premier’s office on Friday, Abdul-Mahdi “requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement the parliament’s decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq” in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo late on Thursday.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-pm-asks-us-to-begin-withdrawal-process-in-iraq/
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/10/615827/Iraq-US-troops-withdrawal
US declares unwillingness to discuss troop withdrawal with Iraq.
https://www.state.gov/the-u-s-continued-partnership-with-iraq/
The US calls an occupation, for “partnership with Iraq”
“We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign, prosperous, and stable Iraq” – you mean the sovereign that asked you to leave as per its sovereignty… hard to be friend to a sovereign Iraq if your preventing the sovereign part…
The state.gov. statement is for domestic use.
The audacity to start with “America is a force for good in the Middle East” is a kick in the face to the country the US has invaded and destroyed, the US could`n care less.
the US announced that it is refusing to leave Iraq thus, committing to an illegal occupation.
If they don’t kick Mossad out too, they are just asking for more trouble.