Al-Sadr: US bases must be evacuated, handed to Iraqi army
In a statement, the leader of the Sadrist party Muqtada Al-Sadr asserted that the Iraq airspace must be respected, the US embassy must be free of military and security presence.
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Muqtada Al-Sadr released a statement proposing some measures against US military and security presence in Iraq.
The leader of the Iraqi Sadrist movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr, stressed that "The [US] military bases must be vacated and handed over to the Iraqi Army exclusively."
In a statement, Al-Sadr said, regarding the US military presence in Iraq, that "the numbers and missions assigned to the US military on Iraqi soil must be determined, and the Iraqi airspace must be respected and used only upon the permission of the Iraqi government; otherwise, it will be considered a violation."
He stressed that "The Iraqi government should assume exclusive logistical and security support, and no external party has the right to intervene."
According to the statement, "Any military and security presence inside the US embassy is prohibited and the Iraqi forces will guarantee that," noting that "these measures are a prelude to ending all foreign presence, including advisors and other officials in the future."
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) December 30, 2021
Last Tuesday, the Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi officially announced the finalization of ejecting all combat forces of the international coalition from the country," adding that "the role of the coalition has become limited to advice and support, according to the results of strategic dialogue."
The Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced last Wednesday that all foreign forces with combat missions have left the country.
On December 9, the Iraqi authorities announced the end of the combat missions of the international coalition forces in the country.
Last Tuesday, the head of the Al-Fatah Alliance Hadi Al-Amiri had set several demands regarding the exit of foreign combat forces from Iraq, while the Iraqi Resistance Coordinating Committee issued a statement saying that "US forces are not serious about implementing the Iraqi people's demand related to the implementation of the parliament's decision to leave Iraq."
