Following the martyrdom of Lt. General Qassem Suleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the deputy chairman of the Iraqi People’s Mobilization Force, along with eight others, on the direct instruction of US President Donald Trump, the Iraqi parliament approved a motion (Jan. 5) calling for the withdrawal of American troops. The draft law on the dismissal of US troops was signed by 170 MPs in a session attended by the majority were present at the time of voting. Iraqi interim Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also called for the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at a parliamentary vote, saying Iraqi and US interests would require foreign troops to leave Iraq.

Now, the anger of the Iraqi people over the violation of their national sovereignty is an issue that cannot be ignored. It should be noted that the wrath that Iraqis have toward Americans is not limited only to the illegal actions of the last few weeks and shedding the blood of Iraqi people, but it has a long history of anger and hatred, especially during the last two decades after the fall of the Ba’athist regime. The Americans first resorted to a major Israeli fabricated lie and attacked Iraq in 2003, accusing the Iraqi regime of producing weapons of mass destruction.

Relying on this big lie prepared the grounds for a very destructive military invasion of Iraq. In the US war on Iraq, much of its infrastructure was destroyed, while the Americans used the same lie (the production of weapons of mass destruction) to lay the groundwork for all-out and crippling sanctions against the Iraqi people. As a result of malnutrition and food shortages, many Iraqi children died during the sanctions years.

Although the US military invasion of Iraq provided the basis for the fall of the Baathist dictatorship, it made the country a defenceless and very weak state with the deliberate US action to dissolve the Iraqi army. At the same time, the foundations of terrorist movements that had no history in Iraq were laid. It was after the US presence in Iraq that it experienced the existence of various terrorist groups. Also, it should be noted that the Americans have dealt with Iraqi defendants whose very inhumane treatment of detainees in Abu Ghraib detention camp is one of the clear examples of brutal American treatment.

The Washington government, after the military invasion of Iraq, while still no independent and powerful government had been shaped, sought to establish numerous military bases and the fifteen bases now set up in Iraq as a result of the illegal or illegitimate US aggression. The bases, each of which is in itself a sign of disrespect for the territorial integrity of the Iraqi people and for ignoring the sovereignty of the Iraqi government, and at every political event, create the grounds for unwanted and illegitimate American intervention in Iraq in the form of ethnic, religious and linguistic conflicts. Bypassing the above, the American effort to create ISIS and contribute to the very violent and destructive movements of this group is perhaps the biggest factor fueling the scepticism of the Iraqi people and their anger against the US government.

In particular, the Americans have sought, in the early stages, to rout and suppress all the forces that played a central role in the tearing down of ISIS and the collapse of their capital in Mosul concurrent with preparations to disintegrate parts of Iraq (Kurdistan). as well as repressing them; In other words suppressing the most courageous and popular forces of the people who have liberated many parts of Iraq from the violent movements of ISIS.

According to credible evidence, the Americans have played a key role in the recent months, in the last three months, in causing unrest in Iraq and fueling street riots thereby undermining the government elected in democratic elections. The effort was the latest cause of Iraqi anger against the United States.

Regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, the key role of the Iraqi parliament has to be emphasized, which emphasized the illegality of the presence of US troops in Iraq. This means that legally the barriers to American withdrawal have been removed and that there is no other serious legal impediment to the deployment.

However, other serious obstacles can be cited, including the various political, economic, and even military levers that Washington officials may want to use to stay in Iraq, including the massive costs, demanded each base and their alleged services. However, some political parties and political groups in Iraq will try to reduce the pressure for US withdrawal from Iraq due to their covert and overt links with the Washington government, and with some regional governments that they too want the Americans to stay.

The most important key obstacle for Americans leaving Iraq is the absence of a strong government in the country at the current juncture. The incumbent government has been severely weakened by the recent US-led turmoil and does not have the authority required to decide about territorial integrity and respect for national sovereignty in Iraq.