Iraq: U.S. plan to remove Popular Crowd Forces from western provinces

SANAA, Feb. 18 (YPA) – Iraqi Parliament’s Defense and Security Committee has unveiled a US plan to pull out the popular crowd from western provinces, noting that Washington is trying to avoid a clash with the crowd forces.

“The US troops stationed at al-Assad base in Anbar province and other western provinces are planning to take out the popular crowd from those provinces,” said a member of committee Ali Jabbar in a statement to the Iraqi “almaalomah “website.

“These plans came from Washington’s fear of engaging in a clash with the popular crowd and creating a pressing public opinion on the federal government to expel the US troops illegally present in the country,” he said.

“All efforts and attempts by the U.S. towards the exodus of the popular crowds’ forces from the western governorates will fail and their goal will not be achieved by creating a public opinion that supports their military stay,” Jabbar said

“The US forces are afraid of the popular crowd and are trying to remove it from their bases and areas in Anbar, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din”, he said.

The Parliamentary Security and defense Committee on Saturday disclosed that the U.S. forces had sought to support a large number of tribal elders and leading leaders in the western provinces to create a military base for “mercenaries” for the purpose of obtaining public support and prolonging the US presence in the country.

E.M