The Iraqi parliament met yesterday to demand the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq in a session that was largely boycotted by the Sunni and Kurdish parties. This sentiment has escalated in the recent weeks as militia groups across the region have attacked American troops, who in turn have launched retaliatory strikes against targets in various countries, including Iraq.
Shafaq News reported that Acting Speaker Mohsen Al-Mandalawi opened the consultative meeting, which the Council has the right to hold without requiring a quorum, per parliamentary regulations. MP Muhammad al-Baldawi, a leader in the Shi’ite Coordination Framework, stated that the session was a “demonstration of support for the government’s measures and steps to expel American forces from Iraqi soil, aiming to establish a swift timetable for their withdrawal.”
“The Council of Representatives calls on the government to prevent all forms of attacks targeting Iraqi territory, not to allow the country to be made an arena for settling scores, and for countries to adhere to agreements and treaties without distortion or different interpretation,” Al-Mandalawi said during Saturday’s session, on Feb. 10, reported Rudaw. He called on the government in Baghdad to take diplomatic measures to protect Iraq’s stability.
