MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2020) Rami al-Sakini, an Iraqi lawmaker representing the Alliance Towards Reforms (Saairun) party, told Sputnik on Thursday that his country backed the withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq, in comments on US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien's announcement that President Donald Trump wanted to bring US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq home by May.
"We support this withdrawal and reject any foreign presence on the Iraqi territory, and a legislative support has been provided for the withdrawal of these forces, and there will be no security vacuum after their exit," al-Sakini said, adding that the Iraqi military was capable of defending the country on its own.
The lawmaker said that the success of Iraqi forces in battles against the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia) and other militant groups has demonstrated that the country's security will be unaffected by the withdrawal of the US military.
At the same time, al-Sakini said that Washington's statements are political as Trump could have already withdrawn troops, "especially considering the vote of the Iraqi parliament on the law to end all foreign presence" in the country.
According to al-Sakini, the Iraqi government has no information on the exact number of the US forces at the Ayn Al-Assad airbase, located in the western Al-Anbar province, and other military facilities in the country.
"Today the Iraqi government is limited [in information], only the American administration knows it. ... Many violations of Iraq's sovereignty have taken place because of the American military presence," the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, another Iraqi lawmaker and a member of the alliance of Sunni-Arab political forces, Zafer al-Ani, said that the withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq is tied to Baghdad's assessment of the security situation in the country.
"As for us, we believe that whether foreign troops remain or leave is tied to the assessment of the Iraqi government, specifically the commander in chief [President Baham Salih], upon consulting with experts on the issue of the necessity of foreign troops, capabilities of the Iraqi military and its ability to keep the security situation under control on their own, and the requirement of international assistance," al-Ani told Sputnik.
He added that his party is against taking into account the interests of Iran and Iran-backed groups in Iraq when discussing the issue of the withdrawal of US troops. According to al-Ani, the presence of militants linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force in Iraq is "no less dangerous than IS."
