Iraq says reached agreement on ending foreign presence
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Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Soudani reveals that Baghdad has reached an agreement on the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraqi soil.
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Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, January 9, 2024 (AP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani announced Thursday that the joint US-Iraqi Supreme Military Committee has agreed to end the international coalition's mission according to a timetable.
"We consider a comprehensive de-escalation in the Middle East to be in both Iraqi and US interests. That requires, above all, urgently ending the war in the Gaza Strip and respecting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," he said in an article for Foreign Affairs.
"We believe the time is right for our relationship to become broader, recognizing the growing capabilities of our forces to defend Iraq and ensure the safety of its citizens," he said, alluding to ending foreign intervention in Iraq's security and military.
The Supreme Military Committee's efforts have "led to an agreement among all stakeholders to end the international coalition in a gradual and orderly manner on an agreed timetable."
It was reported in January that Baghdad and Washington have agreed to form a committee to begin discussions on a timeframe for the gradual departure of American soldiers from the nation.
According to the statement, both countries agreed to create working committees to develop "a specific and clear timeline" that will allow the "gradual reduction of its (the coalition's) advisers on Iraqi soil," adding that the timeline will depend on the "threat posed by IS and its danger," as well as the "reinforcement of the capacities of the Iraqi security forces."
Al-Sudani had reiterated the call for the coalition's departure days earlier.
"The end of the US-led coalition mission is a necessity for the security and stability of Iraq. It is also a necessity for preserving constructive bilateral relations between Iraq and the coalition countries," Sudani stated during a televised event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has been since late October carrying out military operations against the US forces in Iraq in support of Gaza and in response to the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian civilians and in continuation of its approach to resisting the occupation.
Just on Wednesday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it targeted the Haifa oil port, as part of its continued operations against the Israeli occupation.
At dawn on Wednesday, the Iraqi Resistance targeted the oil port of Haifa in the occupied Palestinian territories with two drones.
Shortly before that, the Iraqi Resistance hit three targets in the occupied territories, as it announced that it had attacked "in the past 72 hours a vital target in our occupied territories, and another in Ashkelon, in addition to the Ashkelon oil port."
