Iraqi consensus post-attack: US causing instability in Iraq

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
3 Feb 2024 14:54
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The Iraqi government, presidency, and defense committee in parliament announced in separate statements that US forces must withdraw after their presence in Iraq has become a threat to the country's security and stability.

The Iraqi and US flags sway outside a hotel in Baghdad on September 27, 2020. (AFP)

Following the United States' wide aggression on areas in Iraq and Syria late Saturday, the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi parliament said that the US-led coalition forces present in the country are "destabilizing the situation," and called on the government to expedite the reaching of an agreement on their withdrawal.

Earlier this week, a drone attack targeted a US base which was alleged by Washington to be in northeast Jordan, killing three US soldiers.

According to CENTCOM, US forces struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria with numerous aircraft, including long-range bombers that were said to have taken off from the United States.

In Syria, the attacks led to the killing of several civilians and soldiers, injuring others, as well as causing significant material damage, as per a Syrian military statement.

Meanwhile, the strikes in Iraq resulted in the martyrdom of 16 people, including Iraqi soldiers and civilians.

Defense Committee: Government must protect PMF

The parliamentary committee slammed the attacks as a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and said they weaken security cooperation between Baghdad and Washington.

"The Committee calls on the Iraqi government to assume its responsibility to protect fighters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, one of the formations of the Iraqi armed forces, by submitting a formal complaint with the UN Security Council and accelerating the process of reaching an agreement on the withdrawal of US and international coalition troops from Iraq. Their presence in Iraq is destabilizing the situation," it said in a statement.

President Joe Biden claimed in the wake of the attacks that the United States was not after a war in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.

But Iraqi Resistance groups earlier affirmed that an US attack would not prevent the factions from supporting Gaza, now facing an ongoing US-sponsored Israeli genocide, vowing that any aggression would not go unanswered.

Directly following the US attacks, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the targeting of the Harir US base with drones in Erbil, declaring that the operation comes in "continuation of our path in resisting the American occupation forces in Iraq and the region, and in response to the massacres committed by the zionist entity against our people in Gaza."

The Resistance's ongoing operations and statements signaled an expected escalation in operations against US bases and forces in Iraq and Syria, raising fears that the Israeli occupation is further dragging Washington into a wider war in the region with unknown repercussions.

Iraq government: US forces a source of instability

Separately, the Iraqi government issued a statement warning that the recent US attacks "place the security of Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, and contradicts efforts to consolidate stability."

"The presence of the international coalition, which has deviated from its assigned tasks and the mandate given to it, has become a cause for security threats and instability in our country, and is involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts."

Furthermore, it accused "the US of engaging in deception and distorting facts by claiming prior coordination [with Baghdad] before committing this aggression," labeling it a "false claim" aimed at "misleading the international public opinion and shirking legal responsibility for this unacceptable crime."

The government pledged to "exert all efforts required by national responsibility to protect the land of Iraq and the lives of its sons in the armed forces across all its branches."

Finally, it reiterated Iraq's refusal to be a "ground [for parties] to settle [their] scores."

Proceeding with the process of US withdrawal at top Iraqi levels

The Iraqi presidency also heavily condemned the American strikes, describing them as "a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty" that "escalates tensions and threatens the security and stability of the entire region."

In a statement, the presidency said that these attacks "undermine the chances of success for ongoing negotiations regarding the operation of the international coalition," urging "all parties to fulfill their national responsibilities in light of the dangers and threats the country has been facing for months."

"The continuation of these threats could destabilize security and stability, and puts the lives and safety of citizens at risk," it warned, emphasizing "the importance of convening an emergency meeting of presidencies and political blocs to discuss these developments and their implications and to adopt clear and unified positions."