Iraqi Parliament: Removing the international coalition forces from Iraq is a firm decision

BAGHDAD, Jan. 15 (YPA)- Mohsen al-Mandalawi, the Acting Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, has confirmed that the Council’s decision to remove the coalition forces from the country is a “principled and firm decision.”

In a statement issued on Sunday, Al-Mandalawi said at the beginning of the Council’s session that “the House of Representatives’ decision to end the presence of international coalition forces in Iraq is a “principled and firm decision, and it has been accepted by the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government.”

Al-Mandalawi called on the Iraqi Prime Minister to “implement the decision to end any presence of foreign forces in Iraq,” in addition to “developing the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.”

The Iraqi Prime Minister had confirmed a few days ago in an exclusive interview with Reuters that “Iraq seeks to expel the international coalition forces quickly and orderly,” indicating that ending the war on Gaza would stop the threat of regional escalation. But he did not set a final date, describing the presence of these forces is destabilizing.

He also warned of “the expansion of the conflict arena in a region that is sensitive to the entire world and which possesses most of the energy supplies.”

On January 5, 2020, the Iraqi Parliament voted to oblige the government to remove foreign forces from the country and cancel the security agreement with the United States.

The resolution also stipulated a demand on the Iraqi government to work to end the presence of any foreign forces on Iraqi territory and to prevent them from using Iraqi lands, waters, and airspace for any reason.

It should be noted that the Iraqi Islamic Resistance continues to target American bases in Syria and Iraq, using rocket shells, drones, and short- and long-range ballistic missiles, as part of an approach to confronting the American occupation and in response to the aggression against Gaza.

E.M