The United States of America (USA) has no intention of talking to the Iraqi authorities about the "withdrawal of American troops" requested by the Iraqi Prime Minister, the State Department announced today.
The State Department today clearly rejected that request, stating that the presence of American troops is crucial to the fight against the Islamic State group and that it would not discuss their withdrawal.
"Any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to how we reevaluate our strategic partnership, not to discuss troop withdrawals but to discuss the correct and appropriate posture of our forces in the Middle East," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
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"We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign, prosperous and stable Iraq," she added.
Mahdi's request was prompted by a January 3 US drone strike in Baghdad that killed senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
In a telephone conversation last night, the Iraqi Prime Minister told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the recent US attacks in Iraq represent an unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a violation of their security agreements, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office announced.
He called on Pompeo to send envoys to Iraq to prepare a mechanism for implementing the Iraqi parliament's resolution on the withdrawal of foreign troops, according to the statement.
Iraqis are furious and feel helpless because they are caught in the middle of fighting between two of Baghdad's closest allies, the Americans and the Iranians.
Abdul-Mahdi said he rejects all violations of Iraqi sovereignty, as well as Iranian and American airstrikes.
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