Iraqis split over US military decision to stay in Iraq
Iraqi Shiite politicians and armed groups close to the parties in power disagree over the international coalition’s announcement that it will keep its forces in the country.
Iraq's political circles are divided over the recent US-led coalition's announcement that its military forces will remain in Iraq indefinitely.
Coalition spokesman Col. Sean Ryan said Aug. 19, “We’ll keep troops there as long as we think they’re needed." Once the Islamic State (IS) is defeated, the country will still need help stabilizing, "so that’s one of the reasons we’ll maintain a presence.”
The announcement came two days after the US State Department warned citizens against traveling to Iraq because of "terrorism and armed conflict."
Some opposition voices against the US presence in Iraq have seemed less harsh in recent months, though they say the extension must be approved by the Iraqi parliament. But members of some armed groups affiliated with Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) — an umbrella military organization with ties to Iran — absolutely reject the US presence in Iraq. One PMU faction, the Hezbollah Brigades, said the US administration is hiding “ulterior hostile motives” by keeping its forces in Iraq.
