Iraqi PM urges Kurds to help rid Iraq of US troops
Baghdad expects Iraqi Kurdistan to abide by its decision to remove foreign troops from the country, though Kurdish leaders say the US-led coalition is still helping to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State.
Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi arrived Jan. 11 in Erbil — his first official visit to the Kurdistan region since taking office — to discuss the country’s stability and the need for Kurdistan to cooperate with a push to expel US forces.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted Jan. 8 that Iran will "kick all US forces out of the region" in response to the Jan. 3 killing by US forces of Qasem Soleimani, chief commander of the Quds Force in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units.
At an extraordinary session Jan. 5, Iraq's parliament passed a nonbinding decision urging the Iraqi government to expel all foreign forces from Iraqi territories. However, most Sunni lawmakers, including Kurds, boycotted the parliament session and accused the Shiite blocs of appeasing Iran rather than doing what's best for Iraq.
Despite the dissent, and Washington's refusal to leave, the Iraqi government declared Jan. 14 it will implement parliament’s decision to oust foreign forces from Iraq.
