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Sadr’s bloc slams presence of US troops in Baghdad

January 6, 2019 at 10:06 am

Firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s parliamentary bloc has reiterated rejection of the presence of US troops in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

On Saturday, images of Brig. Gen. Austin Renforth, Director of Joint Operations-Iraq for the Combined Joint Task Force, while touring the culture-rich Mutanabi Street in central Baghdad have triggered uproar across the Arab country.

Renforth was pictured on the tour along with Baghdad’s commander of operations Jalil al-Rubaie on the anniversary of the US troop withdrawal from Iraq.

“This is a challenge to national will, a new violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and bad behaviour that reveals the ugly face of the American administration,” Hamdallah Rikabi, a spokesman for Sadr’s Sairoon bloc, said in a statement on Sunday.

READ: Iraq parliament calls for evacuation of US troops 

“We announce our condemnation and rejection of these cowardly acts and warn these forces not to repeat such barbaric behaviour,” he added.

The Iraqi lawmaker went on to urge the government to issue an official explanation to the Iraqi public about the incident.

“Our position remains the same in rejecting American policies that do not respect the sovereignty of nations, their territorial integrity and the dignity of their people,” Hamdallah said.

The Iraqi government has yet to comment on the incident.

US troops ended their combat operations in Iraq in 2010 and focused their work there on training the Iraqi forces.

The last US soldier left Iraq on 18 December 2011, with the exception of a number of US military personnel who remained under the authority of the US Embassy.