Iraqi people will not accept extended US presence: Iraqi politician
An Iraqi politician has dismissed discussions about prolonging the US military presence in Iraq as an “illusion,” saying that neither political factions nor the Iraqi public would accept any extension of the agreed timelines.
Speaking in an interview with Iraq’s Arabic-language al-Maalomah news agency, Essam Shaker, a member of Iraq’s ruling Coordination Framework, stated that the expulsion of foreign forces, especially US troops, is advancing exactly as agreed and in line with the government’s announced schedule.
“The decision as for foreign troops, especially Americans, to withdraw from Iraq was taken by the Iraq-US bilateral coordination committee, and the timeline has been announced by the central government in Baghdad,” he said.
“Talk about the possibility of extending those timelines is an illusion, and is not accepted by the political forces or the Iraqi public,” he added.
Shaker noted that his country is in no need of foreign combat forces, emphasizing that Iraqi security forces are fully capable of confronting both domestic and foreign challenges.
“Iraq does not need the presence of foreign combat forces in any region, and the security services and formations are capable of deterring and confronting any internal or external threats,” he highlighted.
He stated that the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq “represents a national interest, enhances stability, and confirms the ability of the state and its agencies to maintain security.”
Shaker described the security situation in Iraq as stable, stating that all counter-terrorism operations are being carried out entirely by Iraqi forces, which is clear evidence of their ability to address all challenges.
Iraq adopted the law to expel foreign forces after Washington assassinated top Iraqi and Iranian anti-terror commanders four years ago.
Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were martyred along with their comrades in a US drone strike that was authorized by then-president Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
The two iconic anti-terror commanders are greatly admired for their instrumental role in fighting and decimating the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
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