- In a phone call with the secretary, he asked the US to "send delegates to Iraq to prepare a mechanism to carry out the parliament's resolution regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq," a statement from his office reads.
- His request follows a vote by Iraq's parliament to pass a non-binding resolution calling for the end of foreign military operations in Iraq, a response to a US drone strike in country that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani .
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Iraq's prime minister told the US to start making plans to withdraw its troops from the country
Iraq 's caretaker prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the US should begin making preparations for a troop withdrawal from the country, the Associated Press reported.
Mike Pompeo
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a call Thursday night that the US should begin making preparations for a troop withdrawal, the AP reported .
The Iraqi prime minister asked that the US "send delegates to Iraq to prepare a mechanism to carry out the parliament's resolution regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq," a statement from the office of the prime minister said, according to the AP.
Abdul-Mahdi resigned last year, but he has continued to preside over the government in an acting capacity.
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Iraq's parliament passed a resolution Sunday calling for the end of foreign military operations in Iraq.
"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 non-binding resolution read, according to Reuters.
The vote followed a US drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
"This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans," the Department of Defense said after the shocking strike. President Donald Trump said Thursday without offering evidence that Soleimani was killed because he was "looking to blow up our embassy."
The strike outraged Iraqi leadership and led the Iraqi prime minister to call for foreign troops to depart Iraq, something he said was necessary "for the sake of our national sovereignty."
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The future of the roughly 5,000 US troops in Iraq remains unclear. The Department of State has not yet responded to Insider request for comment.
- Read more:
- What it was like on a base in Iraq as Iranian missiles were incoming
- Tensions between the US and Iran may help drive an ISIS resurgence in Iraq
- Trump is claiming victory over Iran, but his escalation has alienated allies, hurt US-Iraq relations, provoked Iran to leave the nuclear deal, and jeopardized efforts against ISIS
- Satellite images show base damage after Iran launched a missile attack on US and coalition forces in Iraq
See Also:
- Iran's missile attack on US troops appears to be a calculated message to Trump and the regime's enemies
- Iran's retaliation for Qassem Soleimani's death may not be finished. The real revenge could take years to materialize.
- Video appears to show the moment Iran launched a barrage of missiles on US forces in Iraq
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