In a session on Saturday the Iraqi parliament addressed the recent US airstrikes against pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq and the petition to expel foreign forces from Iraqi soil.
The assembly condemned the attacks and referred the expulsion petition to its relevant committees for further examination in the absence of a significant number of Kurdish and Sunni legislators, which sparked criticism from their Shiite counterparts, who accused them of neglecting their duty to safeguard Iraqi sovereignty.
First Deputy Speaker Muhsin al-Mandalawi, leading the session, emphasised the parliament’s stance against any infringement of Iraq’s sovereignty, and urged the government to ensure that the country is not used as a battleground for external conflicts.
This meeting follows the latest US drone strike in Baghdad’s Mashtal neighbourhood, which resulted in the death of Abu Baqer al-Saadi, a Kataib Hezbollah commander, escalating tensions and prompting calls from Baghdad to terminate the US-led coalition’s mission against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Over 100 Iraqi MPs have backed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops, the proposition referred to above which is now under the scrutiny of the parliament’s security and legal committees.
The recent US strike was a retaliation for attacks by Iran-aligned groups on US interests in the region, according to Washington. These developments come as Baghdad engages in dialogue with the international coalition to end foreign military presence in Iraq.
