Iraq says does not need foreign combat forces

By Anadolu Staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani on Wednesday called for reviewing his country’s relationship with the US-led coalition against Daesh/ISIS terror group.

In an article in Le Monde newspaper, al-Sudani said Baghdad needs the foreign forces in an advisory capacity, not in a combat role.

A day before his scheduled visit to Paris on Thursday, the Iraqi premier said Iraq seeks to bolster military and security cooperation with France.

"The Iraqi government is currently more convinced of its vision of developing Iraq's regional and international relations on the basis of cooperation and balance, moving away from the policy of axes and adopting the concept of partnership with many countries in the world, most notably France,” he added.

His statement comes few days after he told the Wall Street Journal that he wants the 2,000 US forces in the country, who are there training Iraqi troops to fight Daesh/ISIS terrorist group, to keep doing their work for the foreseeable future.

This situation, al-Sudani said, “makes Iraq in need of the foreign forces, not in a combat role, but rather in an advisory capacity to meet the training needs of our forces."

"This means that we need to constantly review the relationship with the international coalition and draw a map for future cooperation in light of the constant development in the combat capabilities of our armed forces."

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar