Numerous questions abound within Iraqi streets and political circles regarding the ultimatum given by armed factions in Iraq to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to resolve the issue of expelling U.S. forces from Iraq.
In a new development, informed sources revealed on Thursday the negotiating party with Al-Sudani and what will happen if Al-Sudani fails to resolve this issue within the 40-day ultimatum.
It is noteworthy that since mid-October 2023, armed factions have been targeting U.S. bases in Iraq, coinciding with the Gaza war. The factions announced that their attacks on U.S. forces were in response to U.S. support for Israel.
Sources told “Al-Alam Al-Jadid” that “Kata’ib Hezbollah in Iraq granted Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and his government a deadline until mid-July to resolve the issue of expelling U.S. forces from the country.”
They added that “the brigades stipulated setting a publicly announced and binding timetable to resolve this issue; otherwise, they will resume their operations,” noting that “their operations will not only target military bases but also all American interests in Iraq and the region.”
Informed sources revealed yesterday, Wednesday, to several media outlets, including “Shafaq News,” that Iraqi armed factions granted Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani a 40-day deadline to resolve the issue of expelling U.S. forces from the country.
On June 4, a source in one of the armed factions confirmed to “Al-Alam Al-Jadid” that “the factions’ ultimatum to the Iraqi government regarding halting military operations against U.S. targets and interests ended in mid-May. However, the government requested an extension due to ongoing negotiations between Baghdad and Washington regarding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.” The source explained that mediations from Iraqi and Iranian parties prompted the armed factions to extend the halt of military operations until mid-July, hoping the government would announce a clear timetable to end the international coalition’s mission and completely withdraw foreign forces from all Iraqi territories.
The previous escalation between the armed factions and the U.S. witnessed military responses from Washington, the latest being the bombing of Al-Qaim city near the Syrian border. At that time, the U.S. Central Command confirmed that its forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria targeting sites belonging to the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated militias. The command stated that U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets using multiple aircraft, including long-range bombers launched from the United States.
It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s visit to Washington and his meeting with President Joe Biden did not include discussions on the issue of armed factions or the attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq.
It is worth mentioning that, as a result of the escalation between armed factions and U.S. forces, it was announced months ago that negotiations between Iraqi and U.S. committees had begun to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. forces. These committees are still working without announcing any final results so far.
