Al-Amiri: Coalition Forces Must Leave Iraq Immediately

On Tuesday, Haidi al-Amiri, the head of the "We Build" coalition, called on the Iraqi government to end the presence of the international coalition against ISIS, led by the United States, in the country. In a speech delivered during the coalition's electoral festival in Wasit province, Al-Amiri stated, "The Popular Mobilization Forces are the support for the security forces and the protector of Iraq's unity and sovereignty," adding that "the Iraqi army, together with the Popular Mobilization and federal police, is capable of defending Iraq." He continued, "We do not need the international coalition forces in Iraq, and they must leave immediately," urging "the Iraqi government to end the presence of the international coalition in Iraq and achieve full national sovereignty for the country." The Iraqi parliament had voted on January 5, 2020, on a resolution calling for Baghdad to work on removing foreign forces from the country. This decision came two days after the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a leader in the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, in an airstrike near Baghdad Airport.