Coordination Framework “Rejects” Extension of US Presence, Hints at Return of Factions’ Operations
Coordination Framework “Rejects” Extension of US Presence, Hints at Return of Factions’ Operations
2024-12-25 05:30
Shafaq News/ A member of the Coordination Framework, which brings together Shiite political forces, denied on Wednesday the government’s intention to extend the presence of US forces in Iraq, due to regional developments in the region, while hinting at the return of factions’ operations if the withdrawal schedule is not implemented.
The representative of the Coordination Framework, Mukhtar al-Moussawi, told Shafaq News Agency, “There is no idea or intention by the Iraqi government or the House of Representatives regarding requesting the US forces to remain in Iraq for a longer period after the recent developments in Syria. There is no fear of what is happening in Syria and no fear of who is currently leading Syria, as they do not affect the internal Iraqi situation.”
Regarding the cessation of operations against American forces, Al-Moussawi explains that “the operations of the armed factions against American forces have stopped because there is a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, and any extension of this presence will certainly return the operations of the factions against American targets and interests. It is not possible in any way for American forces to remain, and there is follow-up to implement the withdrawal schedule, according to what Baghdad and Washington recently agreed upon.”
The Washington Post quoted an Iraqi official as saying that he expected Iraq to request an extension of the stay of US forces, in light of the recent developments in the region following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
It is noteworthy that Baghdad and Washington announced months ago an agreement stipulating the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition forces by September 2025.
Since mid-October 2023, the armed factions have begun targeting American bases in Iraq, coinciding with the Gaza war, as the factions announced that their targeting of American forces was in response to American support for Israel.
The previous escalation between the armed factions and America witnessed military responses from Washington, the latest of which was the bombing of the city of Al-Qaim, adjacent to the Syrian border. The US Central Command confirmed at the time that its forces launched air strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting sites of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated faction groups. The command said that the US military forces struck more than 85 targets with many aircraft, including long-range bombers, launched from the United States.
The American responses to the targeting of the armed factions also included assassinations of leaders of those factions in the center of the capital, Baghdad, using guided and accurate missiles.
shafaq.com
