Pressure towards the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq is decreased, Al-Fatah coalition says

Shafaq News / A leader in the Al-Fatah coalition led by Hadi Al-Amiri revealed today, Sunday, that the pressure on the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq has decreased.

Ghazanfar Al-Battikh told Shafaq News agency, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is the most concerned about the American presence in Iraq and the region", noting that, "this presence is a threat and a danger, and may be a starting point for launching operations and strikes against Tehran".

Al-Battikh indicated that, "the pressure towards the removal of American forces from Iraq receded recently", noting that, "there are personalities and political parties, who speak differently in day and night".

"It is expected that Iranian pressure is exerted on some Iraqi parties to reduce pressure in this file at present, to ease the tensions with the US". 

On the fifth of last January, the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution demanding Baghdad to work on removing foreign forces from the country.

The decision came two days after Washington assassinated the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, and one of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi leaders, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, in an airstrike near Baghdad airport.

The coalition forces have withdrawn from 6 military bases in Iraq since the assassination of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis. It says this is a part of the relocation and withdrawal from the bases of a small number of soldiers.

The Iraqi prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Washington on August 20 to meet US President Donald Trump.