Baghdad will not agree to permanent US bases in Iraq: Envoy
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Baghdad would never agree to the establishment of permanent US military bases in Iraq, an official stated on Sunday, saying the American troops present in the country only provide “consultancy.”
Speaking to Russia’s TASS news, Baghdad’s envoy to Russia, Haidar Mansour Hadi, said he did not know of any US plans to deploy permanent military bases to Iraq.
“US servicemen who are staying in the country only provide consultancy. Deployment of military bases is out of the question,” Hadi affirmed.
He added that the Iraqi government would oppose any plans to establish permanent US bases, noting the US government withdrew its forces from Iraq in 2011.
“The Iraqi government has repeatedly said there are no US bases in the country. We insist that Iraq’s sovereignty is our number one priority. That is why it is up to the government to decide about any presence of bases.”
American troops are still in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS). There are over 5,000 US soldiers currently deployed in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region.
Since the country declared victory over IS late last year, Iranian-backed Shia militias have threated US troops in Iraq, calling on Baghdad to “protect the country’s sovereignty” most recently against “any anticipated Israeli strikes.”
In mid-June, one of the leading Shia Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary groups’ spokesperson declared its objection to the presence of NATO forces on Iraqi soil.
“The presence of any military forces on the ground in Iraq requires a parliamentary mandate, and we reject the presence of any combat force on the ground,” Asaib Ahl al-Haq spokesperson Naim al-Aboudi had told Russian state-owned media outlet RT.
“The presence of these forces is a violation of the sovereignty of Iraq, and Iraq does not need any force, it has an army, police and mass mobilization.”
Iranian-backed militias’ leader, Qais al-Khazali, previously vowed to target them if they did not leave Iraqi territory.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany