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Pressure mounts on US to withdraw army from Iraq

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Pressure mounts on US to withdraw army from Iraq

The US administration is facing growing pressure to withdraw its forces from Iraq, while Washington has been trying to get more forces from NATO member states for deployment in the country with the aim of providing “training” and “advice” to the Iraqi armed forces.

According to Press TV, Hadi al-Ameri, a senior commander of t Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has told in an interview, on Tuesday, that now Daesh (IS) has been defeated in the country  and there is no need for the presence of US troops.

He was quoted saying, “We are told that the presence of US forces in Iraq is on the request of the government in Baghdad. We are yet to get a clear statement from the government regarding the number of US troops which is said to be a large number.”

PMU commander stressed that they will not permit foreign interference in the country’s affairs. “Therefore, our hope is that the government announces the number of American troops which it demands to be in Iraq and the others be asked to leave,” Ameri noted.

The PMU is an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization of some 40 groups, which are mainly Shia Muslims. There are 25000 to 30,000 Sunni tribal fighters, a number of Kurdish Izadi and Christian units among the 100,000 strong force.

The force was founded in 2014 after a decree (fatwa) by Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Siestani, Iraq’s tolp Shia cleric, that called on all capable forces to join the defence of the country against Daesh (IS).

The US forces first came to remove Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.  The highest number of US forces in Iraq was recorded at 1,70,300 in November 2007.

However, US began withdrawal of its forces in December 2007 and completed by December 2011. The US forces intervened again when Daesh (IS) advanced from Syria to Iraq’s western provinces along with other coalition partners to defeat the evil forces.

The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which has been helping Iraqi army in their fight against Daesh (IS), has on numerous occasions said that they have documented evidence showing that Washington provides Daesh terrorists with weapons and military support.

On February 7, Jaafar al-Husseini, spokesperson for the Kataib Hezbollah, while talking to Beirut based al-Mayadeen TV, had threatened to target the US forces powerfully in Iraq if they refuse to leave the country. “We are serious about getting the Americans out, using the force of arms because the Americans don’t understand any other language”.

The militia group previously several times made similar threats against the US troops in Iraq, calling them occupation forces on the soil of Iraq. The group is considered to be in close links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).Pressure mounts on US to withdraw army from Iraq

According to Wikipedia, Kataib Hezbollah (Brigades of Party of God) of Hezbollah Brigade is an Iraqi paramilitary group supported by Iran. It has been active on the fight against Daesh (IS) in Iraq and Syria. During the Iraq war, the group fought against American invasion forces.

The Badr Brigade, another powerful militia group within PMU has also said that extension of US military presence in Iraq would cause further instability in the region.

Karim Nuri, spokesperson of Badr Brigade said, “The two governments should coordinate to ensure a full withdrawal. U.S. presence will be the cause for internal polarization and a magnet for terrorists.”

The pressure on US to withdraw from Iraq has been growing when NATO Defense Ministers have recently announced their agreement to deploy a larger military mission to Iraq after the US urged them to look into a long-term stay in Iraq only after the defeat of Daesh terror group.

The NATO Defense Ministers announcement came at Brussels meeting on February 15 when they agreed to expand the alliance’s small mission in Iraq with the aim of providing “training” and “advice” to Iraqi armed forces.

Earlier in January, US Secretary of Defcnse Jim Mattis sent a formal request to NATO while he was quoted saying “We will go to a consistent mission in Iraq”.

In December last, Iraqi commanders had rejected calls by French president Emmanuel Macron to disband the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hash al-Sha’abi.

Iraq’s Vice President and former PM Nouri al-Maleki  had also rejected French President’s call through social media saying,  Emmanuel Macron interfered unexpectedly in Iraq’s internal affairs by calling for the dismantling of a legal institution, Hashd al-Sha’abi (…) We don’t want any country to impose its will on the Iraqi government and the brave Iraqi nation.

Ahmed al-Assadi, one of the PMU’s leaders told AFP that “any such discussion is rejected and we do not accept interference in Iraqi affairs (…) Asking for dissolution of the Hashd is like asking for the dissolution of the Iraqi army, because Hashd are the key element of the Iraqi security.”

Macron, while in Baghdad on December 2, called for a “gradual demilitarization” and the “dismantlement” of all militia forces.

Earlier in October, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had strongly defended the PMU in response to similar statements by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

PMU is directly controlled by Prime Minister of the country and has been proven to be an efficient fighting force in the battle against Daesh (IS).

Earlier this month, Fox News had reported that US military was pulling its forces from Iraq to Afghanistan after the defeat of Daesh (IS) militants in the country.

The US soldiers in groups were leaving the base on daily flights. There were 5000 US military personnel stationed in Iraq in 2016, with nearly 4000 were deployed to support and assist local groups fighting the ISIS militants.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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