Iraqi decision of ending US presence is principled: Deputy Speaker

By Al Mayadeen English
14 Jan 2024 10:39
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Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, the First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, emphasizes the principled and firm nature of the parliamentary decision to expel the US-led international coalition from Iraq.

Iraqi lawmakers attend the first parliament session in Baghdad, Iraq, September 3, 2018. (AP)

The First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, stated that the parliamentary decision to boot the US-led international coalition from Iraq is "principled and resolute," urging Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to implement it.

Al-Mandalawi's remarks were made at the beginning of a parliamentary session on Saturday evening, as per a press release released by the media department of the Iraqi Parliament on Sunday.

This comes shortly after Al-Sudani called for an agreement on a specific timeframe for the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition in Iraq which "honestly" needs to be "quick".

In an interview with Reuters on January 10, al-Sudani said "Let's agree on a timeframe that is, honestly, quick, so that they don't remain long and the attacks keep happening."

Moreover, the Prime Minister explained that to avoid "more expansion of the arena of conflict in a sensitive region," the "devastating killing machine [in Gaza]" must be brought to an end and humanitarian aid must be delivered "as soon as possible."

Al-Sudani stressed that this "is the only solution".

Iraq's Islamic Resistance targeting US occupation bases in Syria

It is worth noting that the US-led coalition’s exit from Iraq gained steam most notably after the assistant commander of the Baghdad Ring operations in the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Hajj Moshtaq Taleb Al-Saidi (Abou Taqwa) martyred in a US airstrike that targeted the headquarters of the PMF in eastern Baghdad on January 4.

This comes in the context of the persistent attacks by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against US occupation bases in Iraq and Syria as part of their commitment to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza who face a genocidal war sponsored by the US.

Iraqi position on US presence

Earlier in January, al-Sudani emphasized the importance of remaining true to the promise of ending the presence of the US-led international coalition in Iraq.

In a speech commemorating the lives of "the leaders of victory," in reference to martyrs Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the Iraqi Premier affirmed Baghdad's "steadfast and principled position," which "is to end the presence of the (US-led) coalition, as it has overstayed its purported mission."

The United States redeployed a large force in Iraq following an agreement with the Iraqi government which mandated the US military to support the country in its fight against ISIS. Under a Combined Joint Task Force, dubbed "Operation Inherent Resolve," the US has maintained a large presence, including two airbases, through which it claims to fight terrorism in the region.