Iraq moving to end presence of US-led coalition troops: PM
Jan 05, 2024Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani said on Friday he was determined to "put an end" to the international anti-jihadist coalition in his country, after a US strike in Baghdad killed a pro-Iran commander.
Sudani, whose government relies on support from Tehran-aligned parties, has repeatedly said in recent weeks he would like to see foreign troops leave Iraq.
But the latest remarks came amid soaring regional tensions, with the repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war, raging for nearly three months, increasingly felt in Iraq and across the Middle East.
A US drone strike on Thursday killed a military commander and another member of Harakat al-Nujaba, a faction of Hashed al-Shaabi -- a collection of mainly pro-Iranian former paramilitary units now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces.
Washington labelled the attack in Iraq's capital an act of self-defence, while Sudani's government decried it as an act of "blatant aggression" on the part of the US-led coalition.
The Iraqi premier on Friday "affirmed (his) firm position seeking to put an end to the existence of the international coalition, as the justifications for its existence have ended", according to a statement issued by his office.
He said "dialogue" to take place soon would "determine the procedure to end this presence", the statement said.
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