Alwaght- Iraq’s Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq resistance movement has warned US forces that they are under watch no matter where they are in the Arab country.
“We can expel you from the country and reach you wherever you are present in Iraq,” Asa’ib Secretary General Qais Khazali said on Tuesday.
“The Iraqi Constitution forbids the stay of foreign forces and those who allow their presence in Iraq with the support of the government will be held accountable,” he added.
The US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but said it would keep a number of troops in the country there under the guise of training Iraqi forces or playing an advisory role.
American occupation troops were required to leave Iraq under a resolution passed by the Arab country’s parliament on January 5, 2020.
It was approved two days after the US assassinated Iran’s anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi, two influential figures in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group.
Since the assassination operation, Iraqi resistance forces have ramped up pressure on the US military to leave their country, targeting American bases and forces on numerous occasions.
Speaking on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that although the mission of US forces shifted from combat to advise and assist two weeks ago, yet the personnel advising and assisting Iraqi forces are at risk.
"So clearly, our men and women remain in harm's way. And we have to take that threat very seriously. We always have the right of self-defense," he added.
Kazali: US should be expelled from region, Israel must be wiped out
Earlier this week, Khazali stressed that the best revenge for the blood of General Soleimani and Muhandis was the continuation of their path and the liberation of all Iraqi soil.
"Taking revenge for the martyred leaders will be achieved through expelling the Americans from the region and ending the existence of Israel,” he said during a ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of the US assassination of anti-terror commanders.
He further warned that the Americans are only seeking to ensure the security of the Israeli regime and weaken Iraq.
