US Troops Archives - Iran News Daily

Delay in troops withdrawal to not go unanswered Taliban

mahla — Sun, 02 May 2021 13:50:55 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Taliban have warned the US that any delay in the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan would be a violation of the Doha agreement and would prompt the group’s appropriate action.

The Taliban have said in a statement that the withdrawal of the occupying forces from Afghanistan starting from May 1 as stipulated in the Doha agreement, has been delayed, threatening the US that any violation of obligations to withdraw troops according to the timeline will not go unanswered.

The Taliban statement said that the delayed withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan was a violation of the Doha agreement and paved the way for any appropriate action by the group against those forces.

According to the Doha agreement between the US and the Taliban, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan was supposed to be completed by Saturday, May 1, but the US President recently announced that the troops would leave Afghanistan by September 11. The Taliban see this as a violation of the Doha agreement and a US violation of the deal.

The Taliban responded by saying that they would not take part in any peace talks as long as foreign forces were still in Afghanistan, something that has become a matter of concern for Afghan officials and political leaders.

The Taliban have previously warned that if foreign troops do not leave Afghanistan within the deadline, the group considers this a violation of the Doha agreement and they will resume attacks on these forces.

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Iran opposing foreign interference in region states affairs

mahla — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:47:12 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – In his phone talk with his Iraqi counterpart, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran opposes any foreign interference in the internal affairs of the countries in the region.

In a phone conversation held on Wednesday with Iraqi President Barham Salih, Rouhani voiced the support of the Islamic Republic for the stability, security and independence and territorial integrity of Iraq.

“Strengthening the dignity, authority and independence of Iraq and promoting the regional and international status of this country is of special importance for us,” he said.

Rouhani mentioned Iraq as a good friend and neighbor of Iran and stressed the need to develop and deepen relations between the two countries in all fields, especially economic and trade cooperation. “Tehran and Baghdad can play an important role in regional developments by developing bilateral and regional cooperation.”

Stating that Iran considers the security of Iraq as its own security, Rouhani added, “We oppose any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Iraq and consider it to the detriment of this country and the whole region, and we believe that the security of the region must be provided by the countries of the region themselves.”

Iranian President said that Americans have double standards in the fight against terrorism and their actions on the Iraqi-Syrian border are ambiguous, adding, “The Americans have always played a destructive role in the region, and the presence of American troops in the region has not helped to establish peace and stability.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, he emphasized the need to expedite the implementation and operation of previous agreements, including the Shalamcheh-Basra railway project and the connection of the two countries’ railways. “Given their economic potential as two complementary economies, Iran and Iraq can develop cooperation with each other and increase the volume of exchanges and trade relations by strengthening the transportation of goods and transit.”

Barham Salih, for his part, considered the relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran as strategic and developing.

Given the long-standing cultural and historical commonalities between the two countries, he emphasized strengthening relations in all fields, especially economic and trade relations.

“The Iraqi government is determined to seriously pursue and implement all agreements in various fields between the two countries, which will be to the benefit of both countries and the region,” he said.

Referring to the importance of establishing peace and stability in the region and the cooperation of all neighboring countries to achieve this goal, Salih added, “The decision of the Iraqi government to end the presence of foreign troops in this country is serious, and in this regard, strategic and continuous negotiations have been held with the Americans, which will continue until the final result is achieved.”

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John Bolton Slams Decision to Remove Troops from Germany

reporter 1222 — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 08:44:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Germany, in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published on Sunday.

“The withdrawal of the US from any of the positions we hold is not an advantage — neither for our country nor for the security of the West as a whole,” Bolton said, Deutsche Welle reported.

The decision to remove some 12,000 troops out of Germany is “a sign – and not a good one – of what lies ahead if Trump is re-elected,” he warned.

Bolton was National Security Advisor for Trump for nearly a year and a half and left the White House in September 2019, after clashing with the president.

In his book The Room Where It All Happened Bolton has accused Trump of putting his own political interests above national security interests and the well-being of the US.

Trump has blasted Bolton, calling him a “washed up creepster” and saying he should be in jail. Trump had previously spoken out against Bolton, calling him a “wacko” and “incompetent” and criticizing his hawkish foreign policy.

When it comes to national security, Trump “follows no political philosophy, no strategic thinking,” the 71-year-old said. He added that the consequence now is that “we are less secure today than we were before his arrival in office.”

“For the first time in my life, I will not be voting for the Republican candidate in the upcoming election,” Bolton told Welt am Sonntag.

But he stated that he won’t be voting for Joe Biden either. “I’ll just write down another name. Trump shouldn’t get a second term,” he said.

The Trump administration had attempted to block the book’s publication, but it was unsuccessful. Now the controversial memoir will go on sale in Germany on August 14.

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Taliban Warns of Action If US Not Leaving Afghanistan

reporter 1222 — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 12:56:30 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The political chief of Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, warned the US that an appropriate decision will be made if the US forces fail to pull out of Afghanistan according to the agreed timetable.

In an interview with Tasnim, Abdul Ghani Baradar said the Doha agreement between the Taliban and the US entails the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan under a 14-month timetable.

“The results of the implementation of the Doha agreement with the US have been positive so far. In the first stage, the US announced it has evacuated five military bases, and the number of American troops has been reduced to 8,600, as this process continues,” he added.

“However, if the foreign forces do not leave Afghanistan on schedule, the Islamic Emirate will make the necessary decisions,” the Taliban’s political chief warned.

On intra-Afghan talks for the peace process in Afghanistan, Baradar underlined that there is no hidden agreement between the group and the US.

The Taliban insist that the Afghan government “should release the Islamic Emirate prisoners according to the Doha agreement to prepare the ground for the launch of intra-Afghan negotiations”, he said, denying reports that the Taliban has submitted a new list of prisoners to the Kabul government.

“The release of all 5,000 Taliban prisoners is the precondition for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations,” Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar stated.

Asked about the Taliban’s push to take full power in Afghanistan, he said the group is after the establishment of an inclusive Islamic administration but does not seek a monopoly of power.

“All Afghans have the right to be involved in serving and safeguarding the Islamic establishment and their country,” he concluded.

A few days ago, the Taliban said they were prepared to hold peace talks with the Afghan government next month straight after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, provided a continuing prisoner swap has been completed.

The Taliban’s political spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said on Twitter on Thursday that the Taliban were ready to release the remaining Afghan security force prisoners in their custody, as long as Kabul freed all Taliban inmates “as per our list already delivered” to authorities.

The prisoner-exchange issue agreed to under a deal between the US and the Taliban, has proved a major sticking point ahead of peace talks.

The Afghan government is supposed to release up to 5,000 Taliban fighters, while the armed group has pledged to free 1,000 Afghan security forces in their custody, according to the US-Taliban agreement.

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Iraqi MP Calls for Expulsion of US Forces from Iraq

reporter 1222 — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 08:45:50 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A senior Iraqi lawmaker reiterated the call for the expulsion of US forces from his country, saying American jets are violating the Iraqi airspace on a daily basis and killing or injuring dozens of people in their attacks.

Hadi al-Ameri, the head of the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance in Iraq’s parliament, made the remarks on Tuesday and said the time has come to bring stability to Iraq and that the goal will not be achieved with the presence of US troops in the country.

Ameri also underlined that the US threatens to attack anyone who is not affiliated with them, such as top Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani and deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with Muhandis and several of their companions, was assassinated in a US airstrike authorized by US President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3.

Both General Soleimani and Muhandis played a key role in defeating the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group which at its peak, threatened a complete take-over of Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of the two anti-terror commanders.

Later on January 9, former Iraqi prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move.

The 78-year-old politician said Iraq rejected any violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military’s violation of Iraqi airspace in the assassination airstrike.

Baghdad and Washington are currently in talks over the withdrawal of American troops. Iraqi resistance groups have vowed to take up arms against US forces if Washington fails to comply with the parliamentary order.

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Trump Approves 9,500 Troops Exit Germany: Pentagon

reporter 1222 — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 07:53:28 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – US President Donald Trump has approved a plan to slash the US military presence in Germany by 9,500 troops, the Defense Department said on Tuesday.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the move, which has sparked concerns in Berlin and in the NATO alliance, is to redeploy the troops and will “enhance Russian deterrence, strengthen NATO, (and) reassure allies”, as well as improving US strategic flexibility.

The move will cut the current troop level in Germany from about 34,500 to 25,000, Trump’s stated goal.

Hoffmann gave no details on when the reductions would happen or whether the troops would be redeployed to another NATO country.

He said the Pentagon will brief Congress on the plan “in the coming weeks” and then consult allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) “on the way forward”.

Pentagon officials say that if the reduction takes place, some of the troops could be sent to former Eastern Bloc countries – some on a permanent basis but most in short-term rotations – to send a message to Moscow.

Worries about possible Russian expansionism surged in NATO countries after Moscow sent troops in 2014 to seize the Crimea region from Ukraine.

While Polish leader Andrzej Duda visited Washington last week, Trump said some of the US troops could go to Poland.

“Some will be coming home and some will be going to other places. Poland would be one of those other places,” he said, AFP reported.

Trump said earlier this month he was cutting troops due to unhappiness with Germany.

On June 15, two weeks after Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would not attend a Trump-planned Group of 7 summit because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump complained Berlin is not spending enough on its own defense and treats the United States “badly” on trade.

“We’re negotiating with them on that, but right now I’m not satisfied with the deal they want to make. They’ve cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars over the years on trade, so we get hurt on trade and we get hurt on NATO.”

“It’s a tremendous cost to the United States,” he said. “So we’re removing a number down to, we’re putting the number down to 25,000 soldiers.”

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Daesh Launches Attack on Iraqi Base in Anbar

reporter 1222 — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 15:03:38 +0000

Daesh Launches Attack on Iraqi Base in Anbar

According To Iran News, Members of the Daesh terror group on Wednesday launched an attack against an Iraqi military base in the western Anbar province, a military officer said.

The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity to Anadolu news agency, said the terrorists attacked the camp in Al-Karmah town, east of Anbar, early on Wednesday, using light and heavy weapons.

The assault left one soldier dead and two others injured, he added.

Daesh has intensified its attacks in Iraq amid Baghdad’s call on the US to pull out its forces from the Arab country.

In a vote on January 5, the Iraqi parliament called for an end to the presence of all foreign troops, including Americans.

The vote came two days after the US military – acting on US President Donald Trump’s order – launched a fatal drone strike on senior Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.

The attack also claimed the lives of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU or Hashd al-Sha’abi, along with eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.

Washington has threatened sanctions should US troops be expelled instead of heeding the Iraqi parliament’s call to end the occupation of the country.

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Iran Closely Monitoring US Military Moves in Region

reporter 1222 — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 14:47:38 +0000

Iran Closely Monitoring US Military Moves in Region

According To Iran News, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said the country’s military forces are closely monitoring all movements by the US military in the region.

“What took place against US bases in Iraq in the past weeks was a natural reaction by Iraqi people to (Washington’s) evil act to assassinate Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and commander of Iraq’s resistance forces Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis,” Major General Baqeri said on Thursday.

Washington has blamed Kata’ib Hezbollah, which is a major PMU (Popular Mobilization Units) faction, for about a dozen rocket attacks against American troops based in Iraq over the past few months. The group has denied any role in such raids, saying if Kata’ib Hezbollah decided to launch attacks, it had no fear of making the news public.

The top Iranian general rejected reports and claims that the Islamic Republic was involved in the strikes against the US bases.

“The incidents had nothing to do with us and Americans are trying to pin them on us as part of their blame game (against the Islamic Republic),” he said.

Major General Baqeri further noted that the country’s military forces were closely monitoring all movements by US troops in the region, warning of “harshest response” if Iran’s security is threatened.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Iran was about to launch an attack on US troops occupying Iraq.

“Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on US troops and/or assets in Iraq,” claimed the American commander-in-chief on Twitter. “If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed.”

The US has transferred its military equipment from Iraq to an area near the Syrian city of al-Hasakah, a report by Syria’s official news agency said. A convoy of 20 trucks, loaded with US logistical materials used in military engineering fortifications, took the equipment to a place near al-Hasakah, the report said.

The US forces have in recent months moved thousands of trucks loaded with weapons, logistics and military equipment to al-Hasakah through illegal entry points.

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Salih, Trump discuss US withdrawal from Iraq

reporter 1222 — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:57:32 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi President Barham Salih and his US counterpart Donald Trump have exchanged viewpoints about a reduction in the number of American military forces in the war-ravaged Arab country, weeks after a parliamentary bill demanded the withdrawal of all US-led foreign troops.

“We’ve had a very good relationship. And we’re down to a very low number. We’re down to 5,000. So we’re down to a very low number, historically low, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told journalists following a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos on Wednesday with Braham Salih.

Salih and Trump also discussed the importance of respecting the demands of the Iraqi people to preserve the country’s sovereignty.

“We have a lot of common interests, the fight against extremism, stability in the neighborhood, and [a] sovereign Iraq that is stable, friends of the neighbors and friends of the United States,” the Iraqi president commented.

On January 5, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country.

Late on January 9, Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

According to a statement released by the Iraqi premier’s office, Abdul-Mahdi “requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement the parliament’s decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq” in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The prime minister said Iraq rejects violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military’s violation of Iraqi airspace in the airstrike that assassinated Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the deputy head of PMU, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and their companions.

“The prime minister said American forces had entered Iraq and drones are flying in its airspace without permission from Iraqi authorities and this was a violation of the bilateral agreements,” the statement added.

The US State Department bluntly rejected the request the following day.

‘Friday anti-US demonstrations in Iraq will mark new revolution’

A high-ranking official from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi, says Friday’s march against the presence of United States troops in the country will turn a new page in Iraq’s history.

“Our beloved country is undergoing special and exceptional circumstances. After the US aggression targeted the sons of Hashd al-Sha’abi and counter-terrorism leaders, the truth behind US military presence finally came to light, and it was revealed that American troops have not been deployed in order to help Iraq, and will not withdraw whenever the Iraqi government requests them to do so,” Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, which is part of the PMU, said in a statement released on Wednesday.

He added, “Our country is now living in an occupation phase… The Iraqi nation rejects humiliation, shame, occupation, and aggression. (US President Donald) Trump has said that he wants to control the Iraqi oil… Iraqi people have thwarted the US scenario of ISIS Takfiri terrorist group.”

Khazali further noted that Friday’s demonstrations to condemn the American presence in Iraq will not only be the day of sovereignty defense but will rather be the day of the second revolution – a century after the Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920 when people staged mass demonstrations against British forces that had occupied Iraq during the First World War.

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US troops stays in Iraq until it pays money spent

reporter 1222 — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 10:49:33 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – US President Donald Trump says he believes American troops should stay in Iraq until Baghdad pays for “the money we put in” the country over the past several years.

“I said, ‘If we leave, you got to pay us,'” Trump said Friday in an Oval Office interview with Fox News.

“If we leave … you have to pay us for the money we put in,” Trump told host Laura Ingraham.

When Ingraham asked how Trump planned to collect money from Iraq, the president said: “Well, we have a lot of their money right now. We have a lot of their money. We have $35 billion of their money right now sitting in an account. And I think they’ll agree to pay. I think they’ll agree to pay. Otherwise, we’ll stay there.”

“We built one of the world’s most expensive airport facilities, anywhere in the world,” Trump told Ingraham. “I mean, I wish we had it in New York. I wish we had it in Washington.

Trump had tweeted last week: “The United States has paid Iraq Billions of Dollars a year, for many years.

Earlier this week, Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi called for American troops to leave the country after the country’s parliament approved a resolution that called for the expulsion of all foreign forces from Iraq.

The vote came two days after the US military – acting on Trump’s order – launched a drone strike on top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.

The attack also claimed the lives of senior Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and a number of their companions.

Iran subsequently conducted retaliatory missile strikes on two American bases in Iraq.

The US State Department said in a statement on Friday that Washington would not hold discussions with Baghdad regarding US troop withdrawal.

“At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership — not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East,” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said.

“There does, however, need to be a conversation between the US and Iraqi governments not just regarding security, but about our financial, economic, and diplomatic partnership,” she added.

The US, backed by the UK, invaded Iraq in 2003 under the pretext that the former regime of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons, however, were ever found in the country.

The invasion plunged Iraq into chaos and led to the rise of terrorist groups across the region.

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