Iraq’s Prime Minister Al-Sudani made a bold statement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, declaring that the U.S.-led international coalition aiding Iraq in its fight against Islamic State militants is no longer needed. Despite this, he still expressed the desire to maintain close ties with Washington.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Al-Sudani stated, “We believe that the raison d’être of this international alliance has ended.” This comes as a blow to the coalition, which was formed in 2014 to guide and support Iraqi forces in reclaiming their territory after Islamic State militants seized large swathes of northern and western Iraq.
Al-Sudani did not provide a specific timeline for the exit of the international coalition from Iraq. However, he did not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops remaining in Iraq to provide advisory support to the Iraqi army under a new bilateral relationship.
Despite expressing his dissatisfaction with U.S. policy on the conflict in Gaza, Al-Sudani also condemned the frequent attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq by Iranian-backed militias. He further criticized the recent U.S. drone attack on a militia leader in Baghdad as a “clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”
The war in Gaza has strained relations between Iraq and the United States, with Al-Sudani calling for more pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the “genocide” described in Palestine.
Despite these tensions, Al-Sudani still hopes to maintain a close relationship with Washington, signaling a complex and delicate situation between the two nations. The future of the U.S.-Iraqi relationship is uncertain, and the repercussions of Al-Sudani’s statement at the World Economic Forum will undoubtedly have wide-reaching effects on international diplomatic relations.