Iraqi PM seeks to end presence of US-led coalition troops

The Iraqi government on Friday announced plans to kick off the process of forcing out the US-led international military coalition. The move comes a day after a US strike killed the commander of a pro-Iran militia.

Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani's office said the "government is setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently."

There are some 2,500 US troops stationed in Iraq, along with a further 900 in Syria, as part of efforts to prevent the so-called Islamic State (IS) from resurging.

Why did the US carry out a strike in Iraq?

Al-Sudani's decision comes as parliamentary factions aligned with Iran, and on whose support the prime minister is reliant, reacted with anger over the killing of Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari in Baghdad on Thursday.

The Pentagon said he had led a militant group that had been carrying out and planning attacks against US personnel in Iraq.

The strike was a response from the White House to a recent wave of attacks, including mortar fire against the US Embassy compound last month.

The US described the incident as an act of self-defense, but this was contrasted by the Iraqi government's condemnation of the attack, calling it "blatant aggression."

How 'firm' is Iraq on removing US troops?

Al-Sudani said he would commence a "dialogue" to "determine the procedure to end this presence," according to his office.

"We stress our firm position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended," he was quoted as saying.

Power in the Shiite-majority country is reliant on support from Shiite groups, many of which have ties to Iran. Al-Sudani is beholden to their votes to prop up his coalition.

The prime minister was attending a commemoration event for the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani who was killed by a US strike in Baghdad in 2020.

A commemoration at Soleimani's grave in Kerman, Iran, was brought to an end by two explosions — since claimed by IS — that killed almost 100 people on Wednesday.

Iraq claimed that it had vanquished IS in 2017, but pockets of militants remain who carry out sporadic attacks.

It was not clear to what extent al-Sudani was posturing and, if not, how likely an attempt to remove US forces would be to succeed.

ab/sms (Reuters, AFP)