Iraqi Parliament Votes in Favor of Expelling U.S. Troops
Vote poses a pivotal test to American forces that have been instrumental in the defeat of Islamic State
BREAKING: Iraqi Parliament votes to expel U.S. troops from the country, after airstrike that killed top Iranian military leader
Iran-backed militias in Iraq demanded lawmakers attend a session of parliament to vote on the possible expulsion of U.S. troops from the country, after the killing of an Iranian general there put the country at the center of an escalating conflict between its two most important allies.
Inside the parliament hall Sunday, lawmakers chanted, “America out! Baghdad remains free!”
The vote poses a pivotal test to an American troop presence that has been instrumental in the defeat of Islamic State, even as powerful Iranian-backed factions have come to dominate the Iraqi government.
One of those militias, Kataib Hezbollah, threatened lawmakers who failed to show up at the session or vote in favor of a law to evict U.S. forces, branding them “traitors.”
A senior state department official earlier this week said the U.S. was working with its Iraqi allies to prevent the vote taking place, characterizing the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani as supporting the sovereignty of Iraq against Iran.
The U.S. strike in Baghdad that killed Gen. Soleimani, and a top Iraqi paramilitary leader, has raised the possibility of direct confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. With its top two allies increasingly at odds, the Iraqi government faces the prospect of deciding whether it remains a partner for the West or ends up firmly in the Iranian camp.
The U.S. strike also cast doubt on the durability of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State at a time when the militants are seeking to regroup in Iraq and Syria after being defeated militarily.
Iran has vowed to retaliate for the killing of Gen. Soleimani, raising fears of wider conflict across the region, where the slain commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps foreign wing cultivated a network of proxies that could be activated to strike U.S. interests.
“Hard days and nights are awaiting them,” said Yahya Rahim-Safavi, former commander of the Revolutionary Guard and senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a speech quoted by state television. “The Americans must leave West Asia [the Middle East] in disgrace and defeat.”
On Saturday, rockets landed near two Iraqi bases where U.S. forces are stationed, causing no casualties but serving as a reminder of the increasingly hostile climate for American troops.
Kataib Hezbollah has given Iraqi security forces a deadline of Sunday evening to move at least 1 km (0.62 mi) away from bases where American troops are stationed, urging military commanders not to allow their soldiers to serve as human shields for the U.S. Iraqi security forces have been unable to prevent a spate of rocket attacks targeting those bases in recent months, which U.S. officials blame on Kataib Hezbollah.
“We have increased security and defensive measures at the Iraqi bases that host anti-ISIS coalition troops,” read a statement from the U.S.-led coalition, confirming Saturday’s attacks on Baghdad’s Green Zone and Balad air base, located about 40 miles north of the capital.
The U.S. has around 5,000 troops in Iraq as part of an international coalition that was invited by the country’s former prime minister after Islamic State overran around one third of the country in 2014. Two years have passed since Iraq claimed victory over Islamic State but the coalition has remained to help prevent a resurgence of Islamic State and to train Iraqi security forces.
Ahead of the planned parliamentary session, a draft of a resolution circulated among lawmakers. The resolution demands the Iraqi government “cancel the request for help it presented to the international coalition to fight ISIS.”
It wasn’t clear whether a quorum of 166 lawmakers could be reached. Lawmaker Aram Naji said most Kurdish and Sunni factions weren’t attending the session, but that around 150 lawmakers were present so far.
The parliament itself doesn’t have the authority to oust U.S. troops but the law, if passed, would put pressure on the executive branch to do so.
Several dozen lawmakers held prayers for Mr. Mohandes and Gen. Soleimani inside the parliament ahead of the planned vote that, if held, remained too close to call.
Shiite political leaders who control a majority of seats in the Iraqi parliament condemned the U.S. strike as a violation of sovereignty, but some also have misgivings about the growing dominance of Iran-backed factions and see Washington as a necessary counterweight to Tehran’s influence.
Along with many Kurdish and Sunni lawmakers, they worry a withdrawal of U.S. troops would enable a resurgence of Islamic State and lead to Iraq’s isolation, pushing the country decisively into the Iranian camp. The reaction from Kurdish and Sunni politicians to Gen. Soleimani’s killing has been relatively muted, and they were not visible at a funeral procession for him and Mr. Mohandes on Saturday.
On the eve of the vote in parliament, Abu Ali al-Askeri, the head of security for Kataib Hezbollah directly addressed Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, a Sunni: “Tomorrow and afterwards our eyes are on you to observe what your decisions regarding the forces of the Crusader occupation will lead to,” he said.
In another statement, Kataib Hezbollah threatened the Kurds and said it would prevent lawmakers who thwarted efforts to oust U.S. troops from entering Baghdad. Jamal al-Karbouli, a senior Sunni politician, denounced the threats and intimidation.
“We’d certainly be very disappointed if there was some sort of adverse decision by the Iraqi parliament,” said national security adviser Robert O’Brien. “We’ve invested a lot in the future of Iraq and the friendship that we have with the Iraqi people, so we’re looking forward and hopeful that we’ll have a good relationship with Iraq going forward.”