Published 14:17 IST, January 8th 2020
Trump says US troops withdrawal from Iraq would be 'worst thing to happen'
President Donald Trump said on January 7 that the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at this stage would be the worst thing for the country, as per reports.
Advertisement
President Donald Trump said on January 7 that the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at this stage would be the worst thing for the country after the Baghdad's Parliament demanded the dismissal of US security forces. Trump said that at some point of time the US wants to get out of it but added this is not the right time. He further added that this is the worst thing that could happen to Iraq. The lawmakers of Iraq have urged the government to pull out 5200 US troops stationed at Iraq in response to the drone attack that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and top Iraqi military figure Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Parliament passed a motion
After the killing of Iranian general Qassem Solemani, the international coalition that has been fighting the Islamic State has suspended all its activities in order to concentrate of protecting US, UK and other troops at bases in Iraq. This comes on the same day as the Iraqi Parliament passed a motion that decreed the removal of all US troops from Iraq. This decision accompanies increased tensions between the two countries after the assassination of the Iranian general and the leader of Iraq’s Hezbollah militia by the US just outside Baghdad airport. After repeated rocket attacks at its bases, the US-led coalition has announced its commitment to protecting its bases.
Iraq demanded US troops withdrawal
After the killing of Gen Solemani, there have been warnings that the coalitions efforts to tackle ISIS are in jeopardy. The presence of 6,000 military personnel from the US who were training the Iraqi military has become untenable.
The resolution passed by the Iraqi parliament called for a long-standing agreement with the US regarding the presence of US troops on Iraqi soil to be revoked. In a statement, the UK government said that the resolution by the parliament was only indicative to the wishes of the people and that only the government has the right to order the removal of foreign troops.
14:17 IST, January 8th 2020