Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani announced that the reasons justifying the presence of the international coalition, led by the United States, on Iraqi soil have concluded. Baghdad intends to take concrete steps to terminate the presence of foreign military forces in the country, stated al-Sudani.
"The government reaffirms its firm position to end the presence of the international coalition in the country after the excuses for this have ended," conveyed al-Sudani, as quoted by the Al-Sumaria TV.
The prime minister emphasized that the Iraqi authorities are in the process of determining a date to commence negotiations within the framework of a bilateral committee established to develop measures for ending the presence of coalition forces in Iraq.
Al-Sudani condemned recent attacks by coalition forces on al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia positions, emphasizing that the militia "is an official formation subordinate to the state and an integral part of the Iraqi army."
The announcement comes in the wake of a US drone strike on January 4 that resulted in the death of Abu Taqwa, a commander of the Shiite Hezbollah al-Nujaba movement, and injuries to at least six others. Abu Taqwa led the movement's 12th Brigade and was a supporter of the Iraqi Shiite militia al-Hashd al-Shaabi. On December 26, the U.S. military's Central Command reported strikes on Kataib Hezbollah Shiite group facilities in Iraq in response to attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi government deemed these US military strikes a hostile act, violating the country's sovereignty.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Dominique A. Pineiro/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS