BEIRUT—Iraq’s prime minister asked the U.S. to start preparing for the safe withdrawal of American troops from the country, the latest sign of diplomatic fallout from the killing of an Iranian general on Iraqi soil.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi made the request on Thursday in a call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to a readout of the conversation from his office.
President Trump has threatened Iraq with sanctions and a bill for billions of dollars if the U.S. is forced to withdraw its troops from the nation after the Iraqi Parliament voted in favor of expelling American forces.
The nonbinding resolution—passed Sunday with the backing of Shiite politicians—urged Mr. Abdul-Mahdi to rescind Iraq’s invitation to U.S. forces that helped defeat Islamic State but have increasingly chafed against Iran-backed militias.
The exact process by which the U.S. would be asked to leave remains murky. There are questions as to whether Mr. Abdul-Mahdi, who resigned as prime minister last year and has since presided over a caretaker government, has the authority to take such a decision.
In a blow to those supporting the motion, Kurdish and most Sunni lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary session. While a majority of Shiite lawmakers backed it, some worry a U.S. withdrawal would allow Islamic State to re-emerge as a major threat, and isolate Iraq economically and politically. Many of these lawmakers view the U.S. as a necessary counterweight to Iran, which has tightened its grip on the Iraqi government during Mr. Abdul-Mahdi’s premiership.
The statement from Mr. Abdul-Mahdi’s office said he had asked the U.S. to “send representatives to put in place a mechanism to implement the resolution of the Iraqi Parliament for a safe withdrawal of [foreign] troops from Iraq.”
Mr. Abdul-Mahdi said Iraq was intent on preserving “the best of relations” with its neighbors and friends in the international community, it said.
Mr. Pompeo also agreed to look into concerns raised by Mr. Abdul-Mahdi that the U.S. is continuing to violate Iraq’s sovereignty by bringing troops into the country and flying drones in its skies without permission from the Iraqi government, the statement said.
Following the call, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Mr. Pompeo had underscored that the U.S. “will do whatever it takes to protect the American and Iraqi people and defend our collective interests.”
The killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a top Iraqi paramilitary commander by the U.S. one week ago has strained U.S. ties with Iraq.
Iran retaliated on Wednesday by firing a barrage of missiles at bases where U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq.
Though the attack, which caused no casualties, appeared calibrated to avoid further escalation, Iran and its political and military allies in Iraq have signaled their long-term goal is the expulsion of U.S. troops from the country.
Powerful Shiite militias that battled the U.S. following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 are threatening to fight them again unless they withdraw.
Hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have already undermined the fight against Islamic State, which is trying to regroup after being defeated militarily in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S.-led coalition has said it has paused military activities in Iraq to focus on self-protection. “We await further clarification on the legal nature and impact of the resolution on foreign troops no longer being allowed to stay in Iraq,” the coalition said in a Twitter message on Thursday.
Write to Isabel Coles at isabel.coles@wsj.com
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2020-01-10 13:30:00Z
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