A powerful bloc in Iraq’s parliament is calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq following a series of airstrikes blamed on Israel targeting Iran-backed Shiite militias in the country, VOA news reports.
The Fatah Coalition said on Monday it holds the United States fully responsible for this Israeli aggression, “which we consider to be a declaration of war on Iraq and its people.”
The coalition is a parliament bloc representing Iran-backed paramilitary militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The coalition’s statement came shortly after a drone strike in the western Iraqi town of al-Qaim killed a commander with the forces, the latest in strikes apparently conducted by Israel against the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
The statement adds that U.S. troops are no longer needed in Iraq.