Iraq militia chief warns US troops will leave 'in coffins' if Joe Biden ignores demands
Iraq-based militias have joined forces and carried out multiple attacks on US bases and forces to put pressure on Washington to withdraw entirely from the country.
US troops will be returning home "in coffins" unless Joe Biden meets the demands of Iraqi militias and orders all his troops to leave the country, the head of one of the groups warned.
Sheikh Mohammed al-Tamimi, secretary-general of Faylaq al-Waad al-Sadiq, insisted his militia and its allies requested all US personnel be withdrawn.
Al-Waad al-Sadiq is part of an Islamic Resistance of Iraq coalition of militias that have waged multiple attacks on US troops since Israel declared war on Hamas last October.
The coalition launched nearly daily rocket and drone attacks against US bases in both Iraq and Syria after pledging its support to Hamas and the Palestinian people.
The group also claimed responsibility for a January 28 drone strike on the American outpost Tower 22 in Jordan which resulted in the death of three US military personnel.
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After the Biden administration intensified retaliatory strikes targeting militia commanders, the Iraqi government started to demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
The Pentagon kicked off negotiations to agree on a "transition" period during which American personnel would continue its operation to fight Islamic State (ISIS) militants still engaged in the area.
The Islamic Resistance agreed to scale back its attacks but as progress in the withdrawal failed to materialize, al-Tamimi issued a dire warning to "the reckless, senile" Biden.
Speaking to Newsweek, the militia chief said: "If the agreement is not achieved, we will expel the Americans in their coffins from Iraq, and we will humiliate the 'Black House' administration.
"And they will see who the resistance is and what the capabilities of the resistance are, especially now that we have drones and long-range smart missiles."
The U.S. first began withdrawing troops from Iraq in 2007, with the last personnel deployed in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion leaving in 2011.
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With the emergence of ISIS and growing violence in the region, the US joined and led an international coalition to push back on the ultraconservative Sunni terror organization.
Shiite Muslim militias joined forces as well to combat ISIS with the support of Iran, with Al-Waad al-Sadiq one of the leading groups to face off with the extremist militants in Iraq and Syria.
The United States established a new military presence in Iraq to support the local government in reclaiming occupied territories - with the coalition coexisting with the militias.
But as tensions between the U.S. and Iran rocketed again following the assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Shiite militants resumed hostilities.
And with the war in the Strip of Gaza showing no sign of resolving any time soon, the militias have warned they will continue to "defend the land of Iraq" from foreigners to obtain the complete removal of U.S. troops.
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