Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Friday his intention to initiate a dialogue for the removal of U.S. military forces from Iraq following an American airstrike that killed an Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad on Thursday.
In his address, al-Sudani stated that the agreement allowing U.S. troops to be stationed in Iraq emphasizes equal sovereignty, which was breached by the U.S. strike. He reiterated that any violations of Iraqi law should be addressed solely by the Iraqi government.
"We have repeatedly emphasized that in the event of a violation or transgression by any Iraqi party, or if Iraqi law is violated, the Iraqi government is the only party that has the right to follow up on the merits of these violations," al-Sudani said in remarks shared by his office.
He affirmed Iraq's firm stance on ending the international coalition's presence now that the justification for its existence has ended. Al-Sudani is in the process of setting up a bilateral dialogue with the U.S. to discuss the removal of the approximately 2,500 American troops currently in Iraq.
“It is a commitment that the government will not back down from, and will not neglect anything that would complete national sovereignty over the land, sky, and waters of Iraq,” he stated.
The U.S. strike killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, leader of the Iranian-backed militia group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN), near a security headquarters in Baghdad. HHN is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a network of Iranian proxy groups and militias in Iraq that have frequently attacked U.S. troops.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder defended the strike as a necessary and proportionate act of self-defense. He emphasized that U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to combat ISIS, but will take action to protect themselves.
Al-Sudani, who has close ties to Iranian-backed militias, condemned the U.S. strike and asserted that the Popular Mobilization Forces are an official entity affiliated with the Iraqi state.
