Iraqi Parliament votes for plan to end US troop presence in Iraq after Soleimani killing - CNN - Eric Levenson, Fred Pleitgen, Schams Elwazer & Amir Vera:
January 5, 2020 - "The Iraqi Parliament voted Sunday to obligate Iraq's government 'to work towards ending the presence of all foreign troops on Iraqi soil,' according to the media office of the Iraqi Parliament.
"The vote represents a rebuke of the United States over its targeted airstrike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq early Friday. The attack has sharply escalated tensions with Iran and has pushed Iraq to reconsider the presence of American troops in the region.
"Iraqi officials were preparing a memorandum for the withdrawal of foreign forces Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi told French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a phone conversation.
Muqtada al-Sadr, a leading Shia cleric and the head of Iraq's largest political bloc, Saeroun, called the Iraqi Parliament's vote Sunday a 'weak response'.... He called for Parliament to terminate the security agreement with the United States immediately and to close the "evil American embassy" and all American bases immediately.
"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.... US State Department and National Security Council officials [planned] to meet with Iraqi officials Monday and Tuesday in Washington."
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/05/world/soleimani-us-iran-attack/index.html
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January 5, 2020 - "The Iraqi Parliament voted Sunday to obligate Iraq's government 'to work towards ending the presence of all foreign troops on Iraqi soil,' according to the media office of the Iraqi Parliament.
"The vote represents a rebuke of the United States over its targeted airstrike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq early Friday. The attack has sharply escalated tensions with Iran and has pushed Iraq to reconsider the presence of American troops in the region.
"Iraqi officials were preparing a memorandum for the withdrawal of foreign forces Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi told French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a phone conversation.
Muqtada al-Sadr, a leading Shia cleric and the head of Iraq's largest political bloc, Saeroun, called the Iraqi Parliament's vote Sunday a 'weak response'.... He called for Parliament to terminate the security agreement with the United States immediately and to close the "evil American embassy" and all American bases immediately.
"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.... US State Department and National Security Council officials [planned] to meet with Iraqi officials Monday and Tuesday in Washington."
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/05/world/soleimani-us-iran-attack/index.html
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