The Iraqi parliament has voted to remove US troops from Iraq. In an extraordinary session, lawmakers backed a resolution to ask the government to end an agreement with Washington to station 5,200 troops in Iraq.
Sunday’s resolution specifically calls for ending a 2014 agreement that allows Washington to send troops to Iraq to help in the fight against the “Islamic State” group.
“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.”
The move provoked a swift response from Washington, as it expressed its disappointment with the decision.
CNN reported that US officials tried to persuade Iraqi leaders to stop the parliamentary vote Sunday, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. Despite US officials claiming it would be harmful for Iraq to follow through on such a move and hold the vote at all, ultimately the argument fell flat.
“The mood in the country was pushing for it,” one source familiar with the discussions said of the vote. “This was not something that could have been avoided.”
The US was “disappointed” in Iraq’s actions Sunday, a US State Department spokeswoman said.
“We strongly urge Iraqi leaders to reconsider the importance of the ongoing economic and security relationship between the two countries and the continued presence of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS,” said spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus. “We believe it is in the shared interests of the United States and Iraq to continue fighting ISIS together.”
