Exclusive: Washington rejects al-Sudani’s statements and denies “withdrawal”: Dismantle the factions first.
Exclusive: Washington rejects al-Sudani’s statements and denies “withdrawal”: Dismantle the factions first.
2025-11-05
Shafaq News – Washington – Mustafa Hashim
In exclusive statements to Shafaq News Agency, the US State Department rejected Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s linking of the disarmament of factions to the future of the international coalition, and instead called on the Iraqi government to “dismantle” those factions, which it described as “terrorist”.
The ministry also stressed that what is currently happening is “not a withdrawal” but a “transition” in the security relationship, thus ignoring the conditions put forward by the Sudanese.
Washington confirmed to Shafaq News that confronting what it called “Iranian-backed militias” remains an Iraqi sovereign duty that is not linked to the course of the US forces’ presence or the future of the international coalition.
Shafaq News Agency had asked the US State Department whether Washington would accept the Sudanese “condition” that disarming the factions would only succeed by ending the coalition’s presence, and about its opinion on some factions describing the coalition as an “occupying force.”
A State Department spokesman told Shafaq News that Washington “continues to be concerned” about Iranian-backed factions, which include “foreign terrorist organizations.”
The spokesman added: “We urge the Iraqi government to disarm, dismantle and strip these pro-Iranian militias of their influence, because they have no role in protecting Iraq’s security, but rather harm its sovereignty.”
The spokesman accused these factions of “engaging in violent and destabilizing activities in Iraq,” adding that “their malicious and destabilizing activities undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, steal resources belonging to the Iraqi people, and work against Iraqi interests.”
He argued that these factions “impede Iraq’s relations with the United States, neighboring countries, and the wider international community.”
Regarding the future of US forces, the spokesman definitively corrected the widely circulated narrative.
In response to the link between disarmament and withdrawal, the spokesman revealed that the United States is “proceeding with the agreed timetable for the transition of the coalition forces’ role and the end of combat operations.”
However, he emphasized clearly that “this is not a withdrawal, but a transition to a more traditional bilateral relationship in the areas of security and diplomacy.”
On Monday (November 3), Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told Reuters that Iraq had pledged to put all weapons under state control, but that this would not succeed as long as the US-led coalition, which factions consider an occupying force, remained in the country.
shafaq.com
