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Iraqi Parliament votes in favor of expelling U.S. troops

05 January 2020 18:39 (UTC +04:00)

The Iraqi parliament passed a resolution Sunday calling on the government to expel U.S. troops from the country in response to the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and the leader of an Iraqi militia on its soil, APA reports citing Reuters.

During an extraordinary session convened on Sunday, the legislative body also voted to terminate the agreement with the US-led coalition fighting Daesh.

"The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the international coalition fighting Islamic State due to the end of military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory," the resolution read. "The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason."

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi earlier requested that parliament order the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, Sky News Arabia broadcaster reported, as Iraq's parliament began its extraordinary session.

The Prime Minister said that both Iraq and the US are interested in terminating the foreign troop presence in the country.

The head of the Iraqi government believes that the foreign troop pullout would be beneficial to the country. He also recalled that US-Iraqi relations did not suffer despite the absence of foreign troops in the country in the period 2011-2014.

"Despite the internal and external difficulties that we might face, it remains best for Iraq on principle and practically," Abdul Mahdi told parliament in a speech.

He added that there are two options available regarding the withdrawal of US-led coalition troops. The first would see their immediate and complete withdrawal, the second would order foreign military personnel to leave gradually.

“As Prime Minister and senior commander, I recommend the first option. Despite the external and internal difficulties that we may encounter, this option is fundamentally better for Iraq ... It will help reorganise relations with the US and other nations, maintain cordial relations on the basis that territorial sovereignty is respected, and allows for no interference in internal affairs," Mahdi remarked.