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.
