PNN – Muqtada al-Sadr hailed the withdrawal of U.S. forces as a sign of Iraq’s independence and the end of the American era in the country, asserting that the U.S. must pay reparations for the damages caused by years of occupation.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing Russia Today, Muqtada al-Sadr—leader of the Sadrist Movement—issued a statement on Wednesday describing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as marking a period of Iraqi independence and the definitive end of the U.S. and international coalition’s presence.
In the statement, Sadr expressed his gratitude to those he termed “former resistance fighters—drawn from the ranks of the Mujahideen and Ansar”—and subsequently outlined a series of positions and demands regarding the upcoming phase.
In his statement, al-Sadr called for the immediate dissolution of the Al-Yawm al-Maw’ud (The Promised Day) Brigade and the transformation of the Jaish al-Imam (Imam’s Army) into the Ansar al-Imam al-Mahdi (Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi) organization. He also demanded that the U.S. military pay compensation for damages caused by the occupation of Iraqi territory and called for the filing of legal complaints in this regard.
Al-Sadr warned the United States and neighboring countries against interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs, emphasizing that such actions could lead to a severance of relations and retaliatory measures—particularly regarding political and ideological matters—as well as dragging Iraq into regional conflicts.
Regarding relations with the United States, he expressed hope that Washington would reciprocate diplomatically and refrain from “acting arrogantly toward Iraq, its government, and its people.”
In his statement, Sadr also outlined three issues that he deemed essential for the phase marking the end of the occupation:
- Consolidating the monopoly of arms in the hands of the state within the framework of a public, well-studied plan that yields tangible and satisfactory results for the nation and the religious authority.
- The withdrawal and retirement of political leaders from political life, paving the way for new figures to put an end to corruption and pursue reforms.
- Strengthening security forces and activating all their branches, particularly the border guard.
The U.S. Department of Defense officially announced today the conclusion of its military mission in Iraq and the completion of its troop withdrawal. The department emphasized that the end of this mission is taking place within the framework of the agreement reached between Washington and Baghdad, which stipulates that the U.S. military presence linked to the international coalition’s mission against ISIS in Iraq must come to an end.