Baghdad-Sana
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi affirmed that Iraq does not need any foreign fighting forces on its soil, indicating that the Iraqi security forces and army are fully capable of defending the country.
Al-Kazemi said in an interview with the Associated Press, prior to his visit to Washington that he will meet with the US President tomorrow: “There is no need for the presence of any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil,” explaining that the security forces and the army in Iraq proved during their implementation of independent missions against the terrorist organization ISIS last year. They are able to defend and protect the country without the help of the US-led coalition forces against ISIS.
Al-Kazemi considered that the schedule for the withdrawal of foreign forces will be based on the needs of the Iraqi forces and the negotiations that he will conduct with Washington, adding: “What we want from the American presence in Iraq is only training and developing the efficiency and capabilities of our forces and in the field of intelligence cooperation.”
Senior officials in the US and Iraqi governments announced on the 22nd of this month their intention to issue a joint statement stipulating the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of 2021.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said: "We do not need more forces, but rather cooperation in the field of intelligence. We need help with training and forces to help us in the air."
The Iraqi parliament voted last year by an absolute majority on a resolution obligating the Iraqi government to end foreign presence in the country after the American crimes on Iraqi soil.