Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Friday that his government is beginning the process that will lead to the expulsion of foreign forces, which includes about 2,500 US troops.
“We are setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently,” al-Sudani said, according to a statement released by his office.
The statement came a day after a US drone strike in Baghdad killed a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mostly Shia militias that’s part of the Iraqi government’s security forces. The PMF was initially formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.
“The Popular Mobilization Forces represent an official presence affiliated with the state, subject to it, and an integral part of our armed forces,” al-Sudani said. “We condemn the attacks targeting our security forces, which go beyond the spirit and letter of the mandate that created the international coalition.”
The US said the drone strike was in retaliation for attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria that started in October due to President Biden’s full-throated support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza. The US claimed the man they targeted, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, was involved in the attacks but provided no evidence for the claim.
The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes, and al-Sudani’s government, the supposed partner of the US, condemned each one. The Iraqi government said the latest US strike was “no different from a terrorist act.”
The US-led international coalition in Iraq justifies its presence as part of the fight against ISIS. But al-Sudani has said the ISIS remnants that are left in the country could be handled by Iraqi forces.
Iraq’s government has been under significant pressure to expel the US since January 2020, when a US drone strike in Baghdad killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. After the strike, the Iraqi parliament voted to expel US forces, but the US refused to leave.
Pack your stuff and come home.
Well…if you think getting kicked out of Afghanistan was humiliating, just wait till the Iraqis enact their version of, “don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out…”
And that won’t happen anymore once we leave … so win-win, right?
Not for the U.S. imperialists.
Bases that should not be there.
Everything they say is a FU@KING LIE. …Wait… Did I say EVERYTHING?
Thank goodness America’s malign grip on the world is finally loosening. Not, of course, because the morons in Washington have gotten any smarter, but because the rest of the world is raising a huge collective finger at America.
I dont think they were that smart to begin with or they would be in this sad state of affairs.
Good. Should have left Iraq along time ago. In fact should have never been there in the first place.
Same for everywhere else. U.S. out of North America!!!
“US out of North America” That makes no sense.
Not to the colonizers, no. It’s an old bumper sticker, and I agree 100%.
If the United States reverted to the Articles of Confederation, that would get the US out of North America.
Plus pay off the stupid childish debt.
Debt?.. What debt??
We’re the Confederacy now!
Hurrah!
It makes all kinds of sense.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/45d15b5eb4d9a815b69d4257d283d1ffb6f7c5ef34f90f79725aeb7d8d4fd596.jpg
Not to me. Care to explain?
1. Do you think that white people are native to the Americas? If not, it’s obvious, needs no explanation.
2. Another meaning is that we hate the U.S. government and all that it stands for, and want it removed.
“Do you think that white people are native to the Americas?”
People as such are not native to the Americas.
I agree. If I had my way, I’d restrict humans to the tropical savanna of Africa where we evolved. We’ve done immense environmental and ecological damage and destruction everywhere else.
Humans are native to Africa. Until someone debunks, “Out of Africa.”
1.”white people”-the only white people are albinos.
2.There is the Solutrian hypothesis of very early migrations from Europe to the Americas.
There is some evidence of humans in the Americas from as long as 150,000 years BC, definitely from way before 15,000AD.
3.The migrants across the Bering sea fromAsia are humans,just as recent European immigrants.
That’s ridiculous. Humans have only been around for 200,000 years, and they didn’t start leaving Africa until 60-90,000 years ago. Furthermore, how would they have gotten here? Humans were all hunter-gatherers until 10,000 years ago, so they had no way to travel except to walk, and they couldn’t walk here until the land bridge existed.
1. Oh I see. So while you are at it kick all humans out of North America because humans are not native to North America. Give it back to the buffalos.
2. As for hating the US government, USA is not for everyone. It would be easier for you to move than to replace the USA government.
I’m not interested in kicking humans out of anywhere. I’m interested in expelling a particular organized crime operation (“the United States”) from a particular land mass (“North America”). And I’m all for expelling similar organized crime operations (states) from other land masses as well.
Not that I expect it to happen. But I’m interested in it.
“And I’m all for expelling similar organized crime operations (states) from other land masses as well.” Got some examples of “similar organzed operations”?
Pick a nuclear armed country and you are almost guaranteed to have some type of racket going on somewhere. But more broadly I think Mr. Knapp’s opinion is the same as some of our founding fathers that governments are, at best, a necessary evil.
“Got some examples of ‘similar organzed operations?’
Last time I noticed, about 200 of them (193 of which are UN members).
Soo all governments. OK.
No, all states.
Four people cooperating to order a pizza together are governing themselves.
It’s when one of them pulls a gun and proclaims his monopoly on the power to have anchovies, with the other three paying for it and eating it whether they like it or not, that the problems begin.
As to No. 1, see my response to Thomas. As to No. 2, you’re right, the evil empire is not for everyone. It’s not for any sane or decent person.
So when are you moving to thw tropical savanna of Africa? That would solve number 1 and 2 for you with one simple move.
It’s way too late now. I would have restricted humans 60-90,000 years ago when they began leaving Africa.
Nope, never too late to do something that you believe in.
US has forfeited its right to exist.
… urgently needs to be dispossessed of its nukes.
Since you are part of the US, practice what you preach. Don’t forget to leave a note.
You are funny.
Sometimes, I am.
Yeah we should have left along time ago. What made these people think they could simultaineously make war with Iran, China, Russia, N. Korea, ( other mid easterns) Etc.
Not a brilliant strategy to begin with. It actually looks like they dug a hole.
Should have left a long time ago. Although I cant agree morr.
It actually looks to be a little late now. I can actually hear Homer Simpson going, . . Doh!
I dont think pulling out of Iraq now is actually going to help the U.S. win.
Neither is staying though, so yeah. We should have left a long time ago.
To answer your rhetorical question, their hubris combined with their lust for money and power, “money” including resources.
“Yeah we should have left along time ago” You are free to leave at anytime. So lead by example.
I upvoted your comment.
Will miracles never cease?
Long overdue. I’m sure the U.S. Military Offense Industry will fight it but it’s long past time that U.S. bases in foreign countries that no longer want them there, need to go.
I think they have too much on their plate now and they are getting in over their head.
Endless money printing and increasing unsustainable debt, war, distrust of their own populace. open borders. and all their purposely self made enemies seeing an open window.
It doesnt look good.
Maybe that secret silent only low flying black triangular slow as a balloon thingy will save them in the end.
To wit, they are in deep and it doesnt look good.
Patriots can sell Alaska back to Russia.
Throw in Canada too!
It’s not actually ours but neither was Palestine.
Good to hear people are becoming aware of the black triangle shit show they’ve been putting on for decades – it’s all holograms . Most all uap is. How did you find out it was a military production /show?
I saw one
It has to get much worse, economically speaking that is, before things get better. Your average American has to feel the pain so intensely that voting for an R or D will be intolerable. Only then can Americans have a hope of putting down the neocon fascist scum in our midst and putting our house in order
Finally.
…. the Iraqi parliament voted to expel US forces, but the US refused to leave.
oh hey, didn’t the Ukraine govt vote to expel Russian forces, but the Russia refused to leave? wow.
“do as i say, not as i do”
……. uncle sam
I wonder if the US will “refuse to leave” yet again?
It might refuse to leave, but there’s no “yet again” about it.
The SOFA mandates that the US leave if asked to by the Iraqi government. That’s not happened before. One faction of their parliament held a “unanimous” vote to have the PM (who was from the other faction of parliament) make the request, but he didn’t do so.
Obama had to remove all troops, their equipment, and auxiliaries from Iraq because he failed to negotiate a new SOFA-Iraq. It always hinges on crimes committed by US personnel.
he failed to negotiate a new SOFA-Iraq.
We can thank PFC Manning’s revelations for that… The ONLY true hero that rotten war produced.
Thanks for the clarification! The article did not mention this detail when it said the US refused to leave in 2020.
wut
Joe Biden did that!
Where will the US take grain and oil stolen from Syria? This war business has consequences for thieving US politicians.
Hah!… They will just pop over the border into Syria
I imagine the US will respond similarly to how Trump responded in 2020. We must teach them a lesson for showing so little gratitude to those who liberated so many hundreds of thousands of them from that annoying thing called life.
Speaking from the presidential plane, Mr Trump said that if Iraq asked US forces to depart on an unfriendly basis, “we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before, ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51003159
Uncle Sammy,”we’re going to free the life right out of you!”
Good news.
Bring them all home.
America never should have been in Iraq.
It was about an American oil company not the politics of Iraq. Dick Cheney turned out to be just another Kleptocrat working for Halliburton’s interests.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6266538/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_(2018_film)
We have caused nothing but death and destruction in Arab Countries and worse, our soldiers die in the process, while the elites sit back making money. Our soldiers should never be used as pawns, for money scams by our Government. There is a Genocide in Gaza, why are our soldiers not there to protect the Human Rights of Palestinians, like they did for the Jews, Catholics, Europeans, etc., during WW11? I don’t want our soldiers to go to Gaza, but the USA needs to at least STOP sending money and weapons to the War Criminals in Israel.