Iraq militia issues warning to US as regional tensions soar

Soon after Soleimani’s slaying in Baghdad, Iraqi lawmakers voted for the immediate expulsion of U.S. troops. Trump then began a reduction of the number of soldiers in Iraq and his successor, President Joe Biden, declared an end to the “combat” mission of U.S. personnel against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in the country the following year, yet neither opted for a total exit.

Today, around 2,500 U.S. troops remain in the country on a training and advisory mission. Discussions over their fate and that of the broader U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement began earlier this year through the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, but the Pentagon has signaled no plans to pull U.S. forces out entirely, further fueling calls for an end to the informal truce with militias.

“The origin of the American presence is illegal and illegitimate,” Asadi said, “especially after the parliamentary decision to end the American military presence in Iraq, as well as the million-strong demonstrations of the Iraqi people to expel the occupying forces.”