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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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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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Iran says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli air strikes

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

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The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.

Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.

The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.

Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.

Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

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