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The protester didn't follow through with his plan to burn the Koran in Stockholm, but he still kicked and partially destroyed one. Iraq told the Swedish ambassador to leave and recalled its own envoy to Stockholm. This led Sadr to declare last August that he was withdrawing from politics, leaving the Iran-backed Shi'ite groups in the driving seat of government. Sadr has mostly laid low since announcing his departure from politics, engaging supporters in religious events rather than calling them to the streets for protests. That has changed after the burning of a Koran in Sweden last month, when Sadr called on supporters to engage in mass demonstrations at the Swedish embassy and other parts of Iraq.

Persons: Sadr, Muqtada al, Mohammed Shia Al, Ahmed Younis, Mohammed Sadeq al, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Baqir, Saddam, Sudani, Renad Mansour, Tom Perry, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Iraq, Thomson Locations: U.S, Iraq BAGHDAD, Baghdad, Sweden, Stockholm, Iraq, Swedish, Iran, Europe, Sadr, Tehran, Washington

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday and set fire to parts of it ahead of a demonstration outside the Iraqi Embassy in Sweden, where recent Quran burnings have inflamed anger in the Muslim world. At the latest demonstration in Sweden on Thursday, Mr. Momika and another protester kicked around copies of the Quran and stomped on a replica of the Iraqi flag. In response, Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, expelled the Swedish ambassador and directed Iraq’s chargé d’affairs to withdraw from the Iraqi embassy in Sweden, a government spokesman said. The severing of diplomatic relations came “in response to the repeated permission of the Swedish government to burn the Noble Qur’an, insult Islamic sanctities and burn the Iraqi flag,” Mr. al-Sudani said in a tweet. The Iraqi government also suspended the operating license in the country of the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson.

Persons: Salwan, Eid, Momika, Mohammed Shia, Iraq’s, d’affairs, Mr, Sudani Organizations: Iraqi Embassy, Ericsson Locations: Swedish, Baghdad, Iraqi, Sweden, Stockholm

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said staff at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad were safe but Iraqi authorities had failed in their responsibility to protect the embassy. Thursday's demonstration was called by supporters of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to protest at the second planned Koran burning in Sweden in weeks, according to posts in a Telegram group linked to the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media. He stood by the embassy storming on Thursday, telling a press conference the U.S. "has no right to condemn the burning of the Swedish embassy but should have condemned the burning of the Koran". "Yes, yes to the Koran," protesters chanted. Sweden has seen several Koran burnings in recent years, mostly by far-right and anti-Muslim activists.

Persons: Tobias Billstrom, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mohammed Shia Al, Billstrom, Muqtada al, Moqtada al, Read, Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Timour Azhari, Anna Ringstrom, Supantha Mukherjee, Johan Ahlander, Marie, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Ahmed Rasheed, Tom Hogue, Tom Perry, Lincoln, Bernadette Baum, William Maclean, Alison Williams, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: NATO, Sweden's Ericsson, State Department, Telegram, Turkish, Sweden's, Islam, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: Iraq, BAGHDAD, STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Stockholm, Baghdad, Iraqi, Sweden, Tehran, Turkey, Washington, Sadr, Copenhagen

☆ Iraqi PM Sudani, Syria's Assad hold talks on security, water in Damascus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani review an honor guard in Damascus, Syria July 16, 2023. Syrian Presidency/Handout via REUTERSBAGHDAD, July 16 (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday in the first such visit by an Iraqi premier since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011. Assad and Sudani discussed securing their shared 600km border from security threats, including Islamic State militants, and agreed to enhance cooperation to reduce drug smuggling, they said during a joint news conference. Sudani said Iraq supported the lifting of sanctions on Syria, put in place and expanded by the U.S. and European countries since 2011. Sudani's visit comes as other countries, including Saudi Arabia, rebuild relations with Damascus after years of tensions.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, Timour Azhari, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Iraqi, Islamic State militants, U.S, Islamic, Arab League, Top, European Union, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Iraqi, Damascus, Syria, Syrian, REUTERS BAGHDAD, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Islamic State, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Jordan, United States, United Kingdom, European

☆ Iraq-Iran gas-for-oil barter would likely violate US sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However, three former U.S. officials said a barter would likely run afoul of U.S. sanctions. There has been speculation the waiver might be amended to allow barter, an issue the official declined to address. We have no comment at this time regarding reports of a barter arrangement between Iraq and Iran," the official said. Former U.S. officials said the Treasury Department, which oversees most U.S. sanctions against Iran, defines the term "transaction" so broadly that it would cover a barter exchange. "As far as a strictly legal question, it absolutely does violate U.S. sanctions," he added.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Richard Goldberg, Goldberg, Antony Blinken, that's, Arshad Mohammed, Josie Kao Organizations: Iraqi, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Trump, State Department, Iran, U.S, Treasury Department, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tehran, U.S, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Iraqi, Washington

☆ Iraq to trade crude oil for Iranian gas to settle power debt - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 11 (Reuters) - Iraq will begin trading crude oil for Iranian gas to end the recurring issue of payment delays to Tehran due to the need for U.S. approval, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani said on Tuesday. By trading Iraqi crude for Iranian gas, Sudani said, Iraq would avoid rolling power cuts every summer while working to complete gas capture and extraction projects that would help make the country self-sufficient. The United States has pushed Iraq, OPEC second-largest producer, to cut its reliance on Iranian gas. Iraq spends roughly $4 billion per year on imports of Iranian gas and power while burning massive quantities of natural gas as a byproduct of its hydrocarbons sector. On Monday Iraq signed a massive deal with French oil major TotalEnergies that includes plans to capture gas from oilfields in the southern Basra region.

Persons: Mohammed Shia Sudani, Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, Henry Rome, Timour Azhari, Arshad Mohammed, David Gregorio, Stephen Coates Organizations: Iraqi, Reuters, State Department, Biden, Washington Institute for Near, Policy, Monday Iraq, Thomson Locations: Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Baghdad, Washington, United States, OPEC, Basra, Erbil

"I was a little hesitant coming as a American, like 'Oh my god my government did really bad things here. Tourists "are messengers who tell these states that Iraq has returned to being a safe country and is not a red line as some say. 'DO NOT TRAVEL'The U.S. and European countries still warn against any travel to Iraq due to security concerns. The U.S. State Department website says: "Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest". Few of the ancient ruins that dot the country have signs describing their significance, nor accredited tour guides.

Persons: Anna Nikolaevna, Jacob Nemec, Imam Ali, Alaa, Marjani, Jacob Nemec's, Nemec, Ahmed Fakak Al, Badrani, Al, General Abdel, Karim Sudani, Ali Hilal, Hilal, Timour Azhari, Maher Nazeh, Ahmed Saeed, Khalid al, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Islamic, Tourism, Reuters, Foreign, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Russian, American, Najaf, Iraq, Marjani BAGHDAD, Reno , Nevada, Iran, U.S, Baghdad, Europe, United States, British, Babylon, Mosul, West, Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Ali, Canada, Babil, Mousily

☆ Muslim group says measures needed to prevent Koran desecration
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thaier Al-SudaniCAIRO, July 2 (Reuters) - An Islamic grouping of 57 states said on Sunday collective measures are needed to prevent acts of desecration to the Koran and international law should be used to stop religious hatred after the holy book was burned in a protest in Sweden. A man tore up and burned a Koran outside Stockholm's central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holidays. But after the burning, police charged the man who carried it out with agitation against an ethnic or national group. The incident has triggered large protests in Baghdad in front of the Swedish Embassy. Turkey in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO application after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Persons: Thaier, Sudani, Hissein Brahim Taha, Omar Abdel Razek, Adam Makary, Lisa Barrington, David Goodman, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, of Islamic Cooperation, NATO, Swedish Embassy, Thomson Locations: Swedish, Stockholm, Baghdad, Iraq, Sudani CAIRO, Sweden, Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, Turkey, United States, Danish, Turkish

☆ Iraq plants mangrove forest to fight climate disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Essam Al-Sudani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BASRA, Iraq, June 29 (Reuters) - As Aymen al-Rubaye plants mangrove seedlings in the sprawling tidal flats of southern Iraq, the black smoke rising over the skyline behind him shows the ecological damage that he is toiling to undo. Rubaye, an agricultural engineer, is working for a project started by Iraqi government bodies and a United Nations agency to grow up to 4 million mangrove trees in the Khor al-Zubair mudflats region, located near major oil fields. The tidal flats south of Basra are a baking landscape of water, salt, mud and hazy sky, riven by channels that Rubaye and his team navigate by boat. [1/5]Engineer Ayman Al-Rubaie, 47, plants mangrove trees in the wooded areas of the Shatt Al-Arab River, in Basra, Iraq June 21, 2023. Mangrove plants "can resist these harsh conditions we are passing through" without needing irrigation water, Rubaye said.

Persons: pats, Ayman Al, Essam, Rubaye, Ahmed Albaaj, Angus McDowall, Peter Graff Organizations: United, World Bank, REUTERS, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: BASRA, Iraq, United Nations, Khor, Basra, . Southern Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab

☆ An Iraqi historian was slain after being labeled a spy on Facebook. Exclusive emails show catastrophic delays in removing threatening posts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Tekendra Parmar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Hisham al-Hashimi reached out to his friend Aws al-Saadi, a Meta Trusted Partner, to ask him to take down posts endangering his life. "One of the reasons for his killing was Meta," al-Saadi told Insider. "Mainly because they assumed that the slow response times had to do with a high volume of cases." Aws al Saadi, a Meta trusted partner, outside the Erbil Citadel in Iraq. Internews hopes this might help create a trusted-partner channel with improved communication, more transparency, and faster response times.

Persons: Hisham al, Hashimi, Saadi, Saadi Al, Meta, al, Saadi isn't, Meta's, Internews, Paul Barrett, University's, Barrett, Rafiq Copeland, Internews Rafiq Copeland, Copeland, Thaier, Sudani Internews, Copland, Meareg Amare, Reem Makhoul Organizations: ISIS, Facebook, Meta, Center for Business, Human Rights, NYU Stern School of Business Meta, Partners, University's Stern School of Business, Global, Internews, Ukrainian, Ethiopian, Erbil Citadel Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, al, Myanmar, Ethiopia, New, Ukraine, Tigray, Hashimi, Iraqi, Erbil, Netherlands

The funeral homily by Milan's Archbishop Mario Delpini appeared to acknowledge his excesses as well as his qualities. "What can we say about Silvio Berlusconi? [1/9] People wait for the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in Milan, Italy June 14, 2023. These included Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "Final farewell to Silvio Berlusconi.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Silvio, Marta Fascina, Marina, Donald Trump, Milan's, Mario Delpini, Lucia Adiele, Sergio Mattarella, Giorgia Meloni, Brothers, Matteo Salvini's, Giuseppe Conte, Rosy Bindi, Tomaso Montanari, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Mohammed Shia, Viktor Orban, Orban, Vladimir Putin, Putin, there's, Cristiano Corvino, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Gavin Jones, Federico Maccioni, Alexandra Hudson, Nick Macfie Organizations: MILAN, Wednesday, AC Milan soccer, Reuters, Forza Italia, Police, Italian, REUTERS, Matteo Salvini's League, European Commission, Siena's University for Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italian, Altamura, Italy, Thani, Iraqi, Hungarian, Ukraine, Kyiv

Italian premiers have been given state funerals in the past, but this is the first time a national day of mourning has been called for one. Italy is ruled by a right-wing coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's League and Berlusconi's former party Forza Italia. Bindi, a woman often targeted by Berlusconi's sexist jibes, said the national day of mourning was "disrespectful towards the majority" of Italians who opposed the late leader. WREATHS AND SOCCER BANNERS[1/9] People wait for the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in Milan, Italy June 14, 2023. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also confirmed, but few other senior European politicians were expected.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Giuseppe Conte, Rosy Bindi, Giorgia, Matteo Salvini's, Donald Trump, Tomaso Montanari, Nardi, Lucia Adiele, Sergio Mattarella, Elly Schlein, Mario Draghi, Mario Monti, Paolo Gentiloni, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Mohammed Shia, Al Sudani, Viktor Orban, Cristiano Corvino, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Federico Maccioni, Alexandra Hudson, Gavin Jones Organizations: MILAN, Italian, Reuters, Matteo Salvini's League, Forza Italia, European Commission, Siena's University for Foreigners, REUTERS, Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Milan's Cathedral, Milan, Italy, Altamura, Thani

"The fresh water is finished," said Khamis Adel, a lifelong fishermen and indigenous Marsh Arab from Al-Khora in Basra. It's a question asked by many who once lived off Iraq's marshlands, rich waterways which gave birth to civilization in ancient Mesopotamia. As the rivers and marshlands dry out, so too does the economy that they sustain. "Now a fisherman is nothing, they are like beggars," he said, pushing his boat along the canal in humid heat. Even after the 2003 U.S. invasion, when parts of the marshes were flooded again, water levels did not fully recover.

Persons: Essam, Khamis Adel, Mohsen, Hasan Moussa, Hasan, Naame Hasan, Adel, Saddam Hussein, Ahmed Saeed, Issam, Timour Azhari, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, UNESCO, of, U.N's, Organization for Migration, WE, Thomson Locations: Iraqi, Basra, Iraq, BASRA, NAJAF, Al, Khora, of Eden, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Iran, Najaf, U.S, Issam Sudani, Timour, Baghdad

☆ Iraq launches $17 billion road and rail project to link Asia and Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Development Road is not just a road to move goods or passengers. This road opens the door to development of vast areas of Iraq," Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, told Reuters. The Grand Faw Port, which was devised over a decade ago, is halfway to completion, Fartousi said. Passenger transport between Iraq and Europe harkens back to grand plans at the turn of the 20th century to create a Baghdad to Berlin express. But officials say the Development Road is based on something new: a period of relative stability since late last year that they hope can be maintained.

☆ Iraq says Iran blames reduced gas exports on 'technical' matter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Iraqi delegation led by the electricity minister will travel to Iran next week to discuss the issue, Iraqi state media reported on Tuesday, noting gas imports had decreased by 20 million cubic meters at the time. Iraq usually imports between 50 million to 70 million cubic meters of gas, according to Iraq's electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Moussa. Iraq imports electricity and gas from Iran that in total makes up between a third and 40% of its power supply, especially crucial in the sweltering summer months when temperatures can top 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) and power consumption peaks. During Friday's phone call, Amirabdollahian thanked Iraq for trying to resolve the issue of financial transfers with Washington, the statement said. Iraq spends roughly $4 billion per year on imports of Iranian gas and power while at the same time burning massive quantities of natural gas as a byproduct of its hydrocarbons sector.

[1/5] Iraqi residents walk along Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2023. "This push to develop the capital Baghdad is the most extensive undertaking of its kind," he told Reuters in an interview. 'BAGHDAD COMING BACK'Iraqi-Canadian artist Iyad Al-Mosawi fled Baghdad as a child amid war with Iran in the 80s and did not return until 2019. "I find that Baghdad is coming back," Mosawi said, noting he had attended eight exhibition openings in just two weeks. Reporting by Timour Azhari and Amina Ismail in Baghdad; Writing by Timour Azhari; Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Iraq, OPEC's second largest oil producer, exports the bulk of its oil through its southern Gulf port of Basra. An Iraqi oil ministry official with knowledge of the meeting said the aim was to reassure the companies that their deals with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) were secure. Baghdad and the KRG signed a temporary agreement on Tuesday to restart northern oil exports as part of efforts to end decades of political and economic disputes. Petraco confirmed its presence at talks in Baghdad and said it was currently awaiting further developments. Further complicating the picture, Kurdistan has borrowed billions of dollars from trading houses and oil producers, including to build a new pipeline to Turkey, pledging to repay debts from future oil exports.

☆ Oil prices stable as economic fears balance OPEC+ cuts, U.S. stock draw
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani/File PhotoLONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices were stable on Wednesday, as the market weighed gloomy economic prospects against expectations of U.S. crude inventory declines and OPEC's voluntary output cuts announcement. Bullish sentiment continued after voluntary cuts pledged by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+. However, weak manufacturing activity in the U.S. and China - the two biggest oil consumers - have capped oil oil price gains. Record Russian diesel flows to the Middle East in March, and the sluggish performance of middle distillates contracts have "acted acted as a brake on any attempt to push crude oil prices meaningfully higher," Varga said.

☆ Iraqi prime minister inaugurates Karbala oil refinery
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FILE PHOTO: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani signs the guest book during a reception at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 09, 2023. Mohamed Al Hammadi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS(Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has inaugurated the Karbala oil refinery which has a production capacity of 140,000 barrels per day (bpd), his office said in a statement on Saturday. In January, a source at the refinery told Reuters commercial production will start with a test run at 60% capacity. The country is aiming for the refinery to operate at full capacity by July, the source added.

☆ Iraq and Iran sign deal to tighten border security
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ahmed Rasheed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as Iraq's National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji and Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani sign the security agreement that includes coordination in protecting the common borders between the two countries, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 19, 2023. The joint security agreement includes coordination in "protecting the common borders between the two countries and consolidating cooperation in several security fields", a statement from the Iraqi prime minister's office said. Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani signed the deal with Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, the prime minister office said. "Under the signed security deal, Iraq pledges it would not allow armed groups to use its territory in the Iraqi Kurdish region to launch any border-crossing attacks on neighbour Iran," said an Iraqi security official who attended the signing. Iran has also accused Kurdish militants of working with its arch-enemy Israel and has often voices concern over the alleged presence of the Israeli spy agency Mossad in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region.

☆ Iraq, OPEC stress need to coordinate to stabilise prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, March 19 (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais stressed the need to coordinate among oil-exporting nations to ensure prices do not fluctuate and impact both exporter and consumer countries, the Iraqi government said in a statement. Iraq is one of the founding members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Reporting by Omar Abdel-Razek; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

An Insider review found that his company has sold to foreign governments, including a $228 million dollar contract. What Mills didn't advertise was Pacem's munitions contracts with foreign governments. The company's chief legal officer Joseph Schmitz said all of Pacem's foreign munitions sales are approved by the Department of State. Mills's influence over American military spending while having ties to a munitions company poses the potential for conflicts of interest, an ethics watchdog said. In Congress, Mills sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, which oversee military spending and foreign weapons sales.

☆ Iraqis recount their struggles after Saddam Hussein's fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Amina Ismail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

But he says ridding the nation of Saddam has just created anarchy for others to bleed the country dry. Under Saddam's rule minorities were tolerated and not singled out for their religious beliefs, but were oppressed if they opposed the government. After the fall of Saddam, they were targeted by Islamists for their religious beliefs and labelled apostates or devil worshippers. A CHRISTIAN: PASCALE WARDAWhen U.S.-led forces invaded, Iraqi Christian Pascale Warda was in London lobbying European leaders to depose Saddam. It was the same under Saddam," said Warda, who had several members of her family executed by the state.

☆ Saddam Hussein fell. Then violence in Iraq spiralled
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Ahmed Rasheed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] The site of a twin suicide bombing attack in a central market is seen in Baghdad, Iraq January 21, 2021. He took another risk in 1990-1991, when Saddam's forces invaded neighbour Kuwait, a move that turned Iraq into a pariah. A U.S.-led coalition hammered Iraqi forces and the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iraq for more than a decade. Amer went into hiding again. Amer said he is still determined to leave Iraq, two decades after U.S. troops and Iraqis pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad.

☆ U.S. Defense Chief Visits Iraq for Talks on Troop Presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( David S. Cloud | Ghassan Adnan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with Major General Matthew McFarlane in Baghdad. REUTERS/Idrees AliBAGHDAD—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials on continuing the U.S. troop presence. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has previously endorsed allowing the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq to stay. Mr. Austin stressed that they were there primarily to train and advise Iraqi troops, not to join them on combat missions to root out remaining Islamic State fighters.

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