In an address, al-Sudani said the agreement under which American troops are based in Iraq maintains the equal sovereignty of both countries, saying the U.S. strike violated that sovereignty.
“We have repeatedly emphasized that in the event of a violation or transgression by any Iraqi party, or if Iraqi law is violated, the Iraqi government is the only party that has the right to follow up on the merits of these violations,” al-Sudani said in remarks shared by his office.
The prime minister said he was in the process of setting up a bilateral dialogue with the U.S. to discuss the removal of some 2,500 American troops in his country.
“It is a commitment that the government will not back down from, and will not neglect anything that would complete national sovereignty over the land, sky, and waters of Iraq,” he said.
The U.S. strike on Thursday killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, the leader of an Iranian-backed militia group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN), after landing near a security headquarters in Baghdad.
HHN is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a network of Iranian proxy groups and militias in Iraq. Iranian-backed groups have repeatedly attacked U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and the Red Sea since the breakout of the Israel-Hamas war.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday the U.S. is in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to defeat the U.S.-designated terrorist group ISIS, but he stressed forces will take action to protect themselves.
“This was a necessary, proportionate act,” Ryder said, adding Iraq is an “important and valued partner,” with which the U.S. seeks to maintain good ties.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
