Iraqi foreign minister warns US Embassy pullout would be 'dangerous' for region
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned an American withdrawal could cause other members of the anti-IS coalition to pull their diplomatic staff.
The US threat to withdraw diplomats from Iraq could set a “dangerous” precedent, the country’s foreign minister said Wednesday, warning that other members of the coalition assembled to fight the Islamic State may be tempted to do the same.
The Donald Trump administration has said it will shutter the US Embassy in Baghdad if the Iraqi government doesn’t do more to rein in the Iran-backed militias attacking diplomatic compounds and bases hosting foreign troops. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed President Barham Salih during a phone call last week that a “strong and violent” response would follow against the militias if the attacks continue, the Associated Press reports.
Between last October and July 2020, some 40 rocket attacks have targeted the US Embassy or bases housing American troops. Earlier this month, a roadside bomb struck a British diplomatic convoy moving between the airport and the heavily fortified Green Zone.
"We hope that the United States will rethink its decision," said Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, according to AFP. "A US withdrawal could lead to further pullouts" from the coalition, which would be "dangerous, because the Islamic State group threatens not only Iraq but the whole region.”
