Iraq’s PM has expressed a strong commitment to ending the presence of the US-led coalition in the country

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani announced on Friday his determination to terminate the presence of the international anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq. This statement followed a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that resulted in the death of a pro-Iran commander.

Sudani, whose administration is supported by Tehran-aligned parties, has previously expressed his desire for foreign troops to exit Iraq. His latest comments come amidst heightened regional tensions due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which is increasingly affecting Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations.

The U.S. strike targeted a military leader and another member of Harakat al-Nujaba, part of Hashed al-Shaabi – a coalition of mostly pro-Iranian groups now part of the Iraqi armed forces. The U.S. defended the strike as self-defense, but Sudani’s government condemned it as a blatant act of aggression by the U.S.-led coalition.

Sudani’s office released a statement asserting his firm stance on ending the coalition’s presence in Iraq, citing the lack of further justification for its existence. He mentioned upcoming dialogues to outline the process for ending this presence.

The statement came during a memorial for Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed by a U.S. drone in Baghdad in January 2020. Soleimani was a key figure in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations.

Since October 7, U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, initially deployed in 2014 against the Islamic State group, have faced regular attacks. These incidents have escalated since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas.

Washington reports over 100 attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria since mid-October, many claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an alliance of Iran-linked groups opposing U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.

The U.S. maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the multinational coalition, which also includes France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Despite Baghdad declaring victory over the Islamic State group in late 2017, jihadist cells persist in northern Iraq, launching sporadic attacks.