Iraqi politician calls continued US troop presence an illusion.
“Essam Shaker” described the news about the possibility of extending the presence of American forces in Iraq as a mere illusion that is being raised by some.
He added: “The decision to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq, especially American forces, is in accordance with the agreement reached through the bilateral coordination committee between Baghdad and Washington and according to the timetable announced by the central government, and the discussion about the possibility of extending their presence is nothing more than an illusion and is not supported by political groups and the Iraqi people.”
Essam Shaker emphasized: “Iraq does not need foreign combat forces in any region, and the security forces and relevant organizations have the ability to repel any internal or external threat. The withdrawal of foreign forces is in the country’s interest and strengthens stability. The government and its institutions can establish security.”
He continued: “The security situation in Iraq is stable. All counterterrorism operations are carried out 100 percent by Iraqi institutions, and this is clear evidence of their ability to confront challenges.”
According to IRNA, on January 5, 2019, following the martyrdom of General Hajj Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, former deputy of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, near Baghdad airport, the Iraqi Parliament passed a law on the withdrawal of American and international coalition military forces from Iraq. With the passage of this law, the withdrawal of these troops from Iraqi soil has become a public demand of the people of this country.
The Iraqi House of Representatives also called for the prohibition of the use of Iraqi airspace by foreign forces for any reason.
Previously, some Iraqi political and analytical circles considered the claim of the withdrawal of American forces from the “Ain al-Assad” base to be false and “a clear deception” and warned about new American scenarios for the region.