Amid escalating tensions after the Iraqi government reaffirmed its commitment to the withdrawal of international coalition forces from the country, and the Pentagon announced there are currently no plans for such a step, the government sought citizens' opinions. In a first-of-its-kind move, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's government asked its citizens to express their views on the presence of international coalition forces in the country.
Over the past two days, a large number of Iraqis received an SMS asking: "Dear Citizen, do you support the continuation of the international coalition's mission in Iraq?" A link was also included in the message for citizens to respond to the question. This short message is viewed as a survey that the Baghdad government is considering to reveal the general sentiments in the country regarding foreign military presence.
Although the message indicates it comes from the "Iraqi Center for Opinion Measurement," the link directs to the government's electronic services platform "Aour." This request comes at a peak of tensions in the relations between Baghdad and the United States, which leads the coalition, as a series of attacks have recently targeted sites and leadership figures in armed factions in response to attacks carried out by these factions against sites and camps housing American forces in Iraq and Syria, in solidarity with Gaza.
Despite Baghdad confirming last week that it has initiated a process aimed at ending the international military coalition mission led by the United States in the country, the Pentagon announced that it currently has no plans to withdraw its approximately 2,500 troops from Iraq.
