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Iraq
Haidar al-Abadi, head of the al-Nasr Coalition, speaks at an event on June 23, 2021. Photo: al-Nasr/Facebook
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Welcoming the United States commitment to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq by the end of the year, a major parliamentary bloc said Turkey must also end its military intervention.
“Al-Nasr Coalition welcomes the results of the last round of the Iraqi-American strategic dialogue and considers it a victory for Iraq, its interests and sovereignty,” read a statement from the coalition, led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.
“Al-Nasr calls for the continuation of the national momentum – governmental and popular – to strengthen sovereignty and its requirements against all forms of violation, at the forefront of which is the Turkish military occupation, and other forms of interference in the political, security and economic affairs of Iraq,” the statement added.
Turkey frequently conducts ground and air military operations within Kurdistan Region and Iraq borders, pursuing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for greater rights for Kurds in Turkey. The Turkish military has set up dozens of outposts on Kurdistan Region soil.
As prime minister, Abadi warned Turkey against violating Iraq’s borders. And in an interview with Rudaw last month, he said the presence of both the PKK and Turkey within Iraq’s border was a problem. He condemned the PKK using Iraqi soil to target Turkey and expressed concern about groups in Turkey who want to “regain control” over areas such as Mosul and Kirkuk.
Iraq’s current prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, was in Washington on Monday where President Joe Biden announced the US combat mission in Iraq will be over by the end of the year.
“Our role in Iraq… it’s just to be available to continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS as it arrives. But we’re not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission,” Biden said following his meeting with Kadhimi.
US troops were invited back to Iraq in 2014 to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group (ISIS). Iraqi bases hosting US-led coalition troops have come under multiple attacks since Washington assassinated top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in January of last year, which was quickly followed by a non-binding parliamentary resolution calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq.
Kadhimi has been under significant pressure to secure an American withdrawal of combat forces, and has said that there is no need for them in Iraq. Despite the shift in mission focus, no changes to troop numbers were announced on Monday and it is not clear if there will be any reduction of the 2,500 US soldiers currently in the country.
Senior Shiite clerics Ammar al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr welcomed the US announcement, but Sadr’s Sairoon bloc in parliament expressed some reservations.
“As we appreciate the great efforts made by the Iraqi government to formulate a national vision that contributes to achieving the full sovereignty of Iraq, we renew our position rejecting the presence of any foreign forces on Iraqi soil,” read a statement from Sairoon.
Sadr, who does not hold political office but leads the Sadrist movement, earlier this month announced his withdrawal from upcoming Iraqi elections and pulled his support for the government. He also announced that he has withdrawn his affiliation with all political parties and politicians in government or parliament.
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