Iraq’s parliament is to vote on Sunday whether to expel all American troops from the country, in the wake of the US killing of a prominent Iranian military commander in Baghdad.
On Friday, the US conducted a strike against a vehicle convoy in Baghdad and the Pentagon confirmed the death of Qasem Soleimani, Commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force and Abu Mehdi Muhandis.
“There is no need for the presence of American forces after defeating Daesh (ISIL)… We have our own armed forces which are capable of protecting the country,” Ammar al-Shibli, a member of the parliamentary legal committee, told Reuters.
According to the report, around 5,000 US troops are currently stationed in Iraq.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi previously said the vote was to “take legislative steps and necessary provisions to safeguard Iraq’s dignity, security and sovereignty.”
On Saturday Mahdi declared three days of national mourning following Soleimani’s death and also discussed the escalating tensions in the region during a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The US State Department on January 3 warned all American citizens not to travel to Iraq.
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