"Kata'ib Sayyid Al-Shuhada": US May Back a Military Ruler in Iraq

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In an interview for Al Mayadeen, the "Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada" Spokesman Kadhim al-Fartousi considered that “the negotiations between the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and his accompanying delegation with the US administration are aimed at legitimizing the US presence in Iraq.”

In response to the Biden-Kadhimi agreement to end the US military combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year, al-Fartousi said that "the Iraqi government made a grave mistake when it undertook the role of a mediator between the Resistance and the US." 

“By doing so, the Iraqi government recognized the presence of US combat troops in Iraq," he added.

Concerning the Iraqi parliamentary elections and Iraq’s political future, Al-Fartousi confirmed that "the circulated information suggests that the upcoming elections will not bring anything new to the political structure. As a result, a decision was made against them."

Al-Fartousi warned that "a military figure, who accompanied the Iraqi delegation to the US, may be nominated as a military ruler," he added.

The Secretary-General of “Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq” Qais al-Khazali said that the Iraqi Foreign Minister's statement about the need for US forces was "unfortunate", noting that "the statement is rejected and does not reflect the reality of the capabilities the Iraqi forces have attained."

On Monday, the Deputy Secretary-General of Iraq's "Al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement" Nasr al-Shammari expressed to Al Mayadeen his distrust in the Americans.

“Iraq’s Al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement rejects the US presence in Iraq," al-Shammari emphasized.

Commenting on some Iraqi stances which call for the continuation of US presence in Iraq, Al-Shammari  said, “Whoever demands a continued US military presence in Iraq aims to gain internal power through the foreign powers.” 

"US forces in Iraq did not provide an early warning against ISIS invasion, nor did they assist in confronting it," he added.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hussein Fuad had lately stressed that his country's security forces are still in need of the training, armament, equipment, and capacity-building programs provided by the US.

On his part, Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji has recently announced that the US has been informed that "Iraq does not need any foreign combat force" on its soil.