Professor of Foreign Affairs at Al Nahrain University, Mohammed Al Shammari, commented on the decision to withdraw the international coalition forces from Iraq, describing it as a “governmental-political agreement.”
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Al-Shammari said, during his hosting in the {Free Talk} program broadcast on Al-Furat satellite channel this evening, that: “The decision to withdraw the coalition forces is Iraqi and did not come only from the Prime Minister, but rather by agreement of the political forces in the State Administration Alliance that brings together all spectrums, and as a result, it expresses the position of the state as a whole.”
He added, “The Iraqi political decision necessitates the withdrawal of foreign forces and the move towards diplomatic relations, and distancing Iraq from regional challenges has become difficult in light of the presence of these forces.”
Al-Shammari added, “Moving from the formula of collective cooperation to a secondary one is logical, as a result, we want relations at all levels with the United States and other countries.”
He explained, “The presence of the international coalition is linked to a government request, and its exit is also subject to the contexts of the law and international agreements; however, the Iraqi forces do not need the support of the coalition forces, but rather need logistical and intelligence support.”
Al-Shammari continued, “The United States does not reject the withdrawal of its forces from Iraq, but is working to find a good formula to preserve its interests in the country, and the Iraqi side must work rationally without granting any concessions.”
Regarding the Iranian response, Al-Shammari said, “All indications confirm that Iran will not back down from its response to the Zionist entity; but it seeks to create a political balance that ensures that it is not dragged into ill-considered reactions.”
Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi revealed details of the agreement to withdraw the international coalition from Iraq. He said in a press statement that the Iraqi-American committees agreed to withdraw while maintaining a security partnership. He explained that an Iraqi-American agreement to end the mission of the international coalition will be in two stages.
– The first stage of the American withdrawal will begin this year and continue until 2025, and the other stage of the American withdrawal will end in 2026 completely.
Al-Abbasi pointed to the proposal of the US Secretary of Defense {Lloyd Austin} that two years for the withdrawal is not a sufficient period. He announced the rejection of the US Secretary of Defense’s proposal to add another year to the withdrawal period.
Reuters reported that the United States and Iraq agreed on a plan to withdraw the international coalition forces from the country. It indicated that the understanding between America and Iraq will witness the departure of hundreds of soldiers by September 2025, and the departure of all forces in 2026.
Wafaa Al-Fatlawi