“End of Presence”
Iraq’s head of government wants to throw out US military coalition
January 6, 2024, 3:04 a.m
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US soldiers in Iraq have been under increasing fire for months. In an attack in Baghdad they kill a pro-Iranian commander who is said to have planned attacks against US forces. The Iraqi head of government therefore wants to expel the US military alliance from the country.
After the killing of a pro-Iranian commander in Baghdad in a US military airstrike, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is determined to bring about the end of the US-led international military coalition in his country. The justification for the coalition’s existence has expired, said a statement released by Sudani’s office. A “dialogue” that will take place soon will determine “the procedure for ending the presence,” it said.
On Thursday, a US airstrike killed a pro-Iranian commander of the Harakat al-Nujaba militia, who, according to Washington, was involved in attacks on US soldiers. The US described the attack as an “act of self-defense” because the commander was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against US forces. The attack was “necessary”, “appropriate” and “proportionate”.
Sudani’s government, which is supported by pro-Iranian parties, spoke of “aggression” by the US-led military coalition. Since the start of the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas on October 7th, attacks on bases used by the US army in Iraq and Syria have increased significantly. The US military has recorded more than a hundred such attacks since mid-October.
A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which Washington says is linked to Iran, claimed responsibility for most of the attacks. Around 2,500 US soldiers are stationed in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria. The US-led international military coalition in these countries was founded in 2014 to push back the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS).