Al-Amiri urges Baghdad to set timeline for US troop withdrawal from Iraq

Shafaq News / The head of the Nabni Alliance, Hadi al-Amiri, urged the Iraqi government on Tuesday to set a timeline for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraqi soil, simultaneously condemning the US airstrikes on Kata'ib Hezbollah facilities in Babil governorate.

Al-Amiri reiterated condemnation of "repeated hostile American acts, flagrant violations of Iraq's sovereignty and dignity, and the shedding of Iraqi blood." He specifically referenced the recent brutal attacks in Babil and Wasit that resulted in casualties among Iraqi security forces, including members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Ministry of Interior.

He emphasized that "there is no solution or end to these sinful aggressions except through the departure of foreign forces from Iraq and the restoration of complete sovereignty."

Al-Amiri called on the Iraqi government to establish a clear timetable for the departure of these forces at the earliest opportunity, stressing that their presence is detrimental and destructive to the country and its people.

Earlier today, the White House announced that President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes on three Kata'ib Hezbollah-affiliated locations in response to an attack on a military base in Erbil that injured three American soldiers.

The statement from the White House detailed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin briefed President Biden on the incident during a Monday afternoon call, presenting several options, with Biden authorizing the airstrikes during that conversation.

The airstrikes specifically targeted "unmanned aerial vehicle activities," focusing on the Iraqi Kata'ib Hezbollah groups' drone activities.