Iraqi PM: US-led coalition to gradually reduce presence in Iraq
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Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announces a plan for the gradual reduction of the US-led international coalition's presence in Iraq.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, chairs the 1st session of negotiations between Iraq and the US to wind down the International Coalition mission in Baghdad, Iraq, January 27, 2024. (AP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has said that the military coalition led by the United States, created under the pretense of combating the ISIS terrorist group, will gradually reduce its presence in Iraq.
Al-Sudani emphasized in an interview with Al Arabiya that the conclusion of the coalition's mission will be based on an official request from Baghdad.
According to the PM, "The main purpose of winding down the US-led military coalition’s mission is to eliminate all possible pretexts for attacks on its advisors."
Al-Sudani further criticized the recent US military airstrikes targeting positions held by anti-terror Iraqi Resistance groups in Iraq's western region near the Syrian border, stating that "Any kind of military attack on the Iraqi territory is unacceptable."
The Iraqi Prime Minister then stressed that Iraq has not had any contact with the US ever since they breached Iraqi sovereignty in the latest airstrikes on Iraqi soil killing several patriots.
FM: Necessary to return to negotiating table
The Prime Minister of Iraq also highlighted that discussions between Baghdad and Washington have included the withdrawal of foreign forces led by the United States from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region as part of the ongoing negotiations to remove troops from the country.
"The Iraqi government has come up with a formula, under which the [Resistance] groups will stop their [retaliatory] attacks in exchange for the cessation of American offensives," Sudani explained.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussain highlighted the importance and necessity of returning to the negotiating table to discuss the future of the US-led forces in Iraq.
Hussain, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Tuesday, said that "Iraq is not an arena for settling scores between rival countries."
Iraqi consensus post-attack
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 that 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.
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