US forces leaving Syria not allowed to stay in Iraq: PM
Tehran (KNA) - Iraq's prime minister has made it clear that American forces redeploying from neighboring Syria into the Arab country don't have permission to stay.
Adil Abdul-Mahdi said after a meeting with visiting US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday that the American forces were not allowed to remain in Iraq and his government was taking "all international legal measures" to address the issue.
"We have (already) issued an official statement saying that, and we are taking all international legal measures. We ask the international community and the United Nations to perform their roles in this matter," he said.
He asserted that any foreign troop presence on Iraqi soil must be authorized by the government first and should end upon Baghdad's request.
Esper arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit that would revolve around the arrival of the US forces.
In a major U-turn in the US military policy, the White House announced on October 6 that the US would be withdrawing its forces from northeastern Syria, clearing the path for an expected Turkish incursion into the region.
Source: PressTV