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.
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.
