The Iraqi authorities began preparing a mechanism for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, including American ones. This was announced by the representative of the commander in chief of the armed forces of the country Abdel Kerim Half.
“The activities of the international coalition in Iraq will be limited to consultations, the supply of weapons and the training of military personnel, and its armed forces will withdraw from Iraq. The latest American attacks are stupid things that cannot be kept silent, ”RIA Novosti quoted Halfa as saying.
He added that the Iraqi government "restricted the ground and air movement of the forces of the international coalition and will not allow them to move anywhere." According to him, the United States did not inform the Iraqi general command of its operations.
On the eve of the parliament of the Middle East republic at an emergency meeting voted to stop the foreign military presence in the country, to ban the use of the country's airspace for military purposes and to stop cooperation with the forces of the US-led international Islamic State anti-terrorist coalition *.
The decision was made after the death of Iranian General Kassem Suleimani, which occurred on the night of January 3 as a result of US air strikes in the vicinity of Baghdad airport. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abd al-Mahdi previously stated that the United States notified the Iraqi government of the attack on Suleymani a few minutes before it was launched, but Baghdad did not give permission for the operation. The country's Foreign Ministry also conveyed a note of protest to the US ambassador in Baghdad, Matthew Teller, calling the American strikes in the republic a violation of sovereignty and all international norms and laws.
In turn, US President Donald Trump, in response to a parliamentary decision to withdraw troops, threatened Iraq with significant sanctions.
He added that if the withdrawal of the American military contingent would take place in an unfriendly atmosphere, then Baghdad would expect such financial constraints that it had not yet encountered. In addition, Trump said that the US military does not intend to leave the country until Baghdad pays for the US-built air base.
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Recall, a Pentagon spokesman said earlier that the attack on Suleymani was carried out by order of Donald Trump, since Washington considers the general to be involved in organizing the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on December 31, 2019, as well as in the attack on the U.S. military and diplomats in Iraq. In turn, the Iranian authorities promised to give a tough response to US airstrikes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif on his Twitter posted pictures of a huge crowd of people attending the farewell ceremony of Suleymani, and said that the end of the “evil presence” of the United States in West Asia had begun.
“Have you ever seen such a sea of people in your life, Donald Trump?” Do you still want to listen to the clowns who give you advice on our region? And do you still think that you can break the will of our great country and our people? ”He wrote.
Have you EVER seen such a sea of humanity in your life, @realdonaldtrump?
Do you still want to listen to the clowns advising you on our region?
And do you still imagine you can break the will of this great nation & its people?
End of malign US presence in West Asia has begun. pic.twitter.com/5WzYM9OBuQ
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Alexei Chepa in an interview with RT noted that the US attack is contrary to all international standards. According to him, Washington, taking into account the manner of its behavior in the international arena, can take such a step not only in Iraq.
“This is a short-sighted, ill-conceived and inexplicable act on the part of the United States, which has definitely led to the destabilization of the already tense situation in the Middle East,” he said.
The deputy added that in the current situation only a dialogue between the parties to the conflict will help relieve tension.
Stanislav Byshok, executive director of the CIS-EMO monitoring organization, said in a conversation with RT that the further steps of the United States in the Middle East are still difficult to predict, and added that it is possible to influence Washington’s actions only through joint efforts of the international community.
“So far, this is seen as a single action, and not some broader policy change regarding Iran and Iraq. To somehow influence the United States, you need to be stronger and more powerful than them. Therefore, in this case, it is rather a question of issuing general, as they say, joint statements. Plus, an invitation to the parties to a dialogue on a neutral platform, ”the expert explained.
* “Islamic State” (IG) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.