Iraqi army says 'no need for US troops' as Pentagon mulls full withdrawal

The Iraqi army said on Saturday that it does not need foreign soldiers, including US ones to fight alongside them.

Iraqi army spokesperson Yahya Rasool said in a statement that the withdrawal of the foreign troops from Iraq will be decided by the technical committees between Iraq and the US.

"Iraq does not need any US or foreign soldier to fight beside the Iraqi forces, and not in need of any fighters on the ground except for the Iraqi forces," Rasool said.

The US and Iraq will schedule a process to withdraw under the frame of a strategic dialogue, he added.

"Iraq has trained forces capable of defending the country and the people," he urged.

On Friday, a top US CENTCOM general said there are no plans on the table for a full withdrawal from Iraq.

The US statement caused outrage, especially by groups backed by Iran.

Pro-Iran groups have been ratcheting up their rhetoric, vowing to ramp up attacks to force out the "occupying" US forces, and there have been almost daily attacks on coalition supply convoys across the mainly Shia south.

Iraqi politicians have for long called for the withdrawal of the US troops.

A parliamentary decision was issued on 5 January 2020 to call for their imminent withdrawal, days after former president Donald Trump ordered a drone strike near Baghdad's airport in January 2020 that killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

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