Iraqi Parliament Votes to Expel All Foreign Troops

Iraq's parliament passed a resolution on Sunday calling on the government to expel foreign troops from the country as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran on Iraqi soil following the killing of Qassem Soleimani.
"The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the international coalition fighting Islamic State due to the end of military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory," the resolution read, Aljazeera reported.
"The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason."
 Parliament resolutions, unlike laws, are non-binding and the move would require new legislation to cancel the existing agreement.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also called on parliament to end foreign troop presence.
Abdel Mahdi stepped down in November amid months-long mass anti-government protests but remains in a caretaker position.
In an address to parliament ahead of the vote on Sunday, Abdul Mahdi said that the decline of ISIL, over which Baghdad declared victory in December 2017, put an end to the main reason for the presence of US forces in the country. 
"Iraq has two options", he said, adding that the country can either put an immediate end to the presence of foreign troops or reconsider a draft resolution that ensures the presence of US troops is tied to training Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIL.
Ahead of the vote, chants of "No, no, America".. long live Iraq", rang out inside the hall.

The move comes after Iranian Major General Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed on Friday near Baghdad's international airport in an air strike ordered by US President Donald Trump.
The attack came just days after the paramilitary Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) members and supporters attempted to storm the US Embassy in Baghdad, angry at US air attacks against Kataib Hezbollah - a member of the umbrella organization - positions in Iraq and Syria. 

Baghdad-based analyst Tareq Harb told Al Jazeera that Abdul Mahdi's calls to expel US troops in Iraq was in anticipation of a strong reaction from the Iraqi public and pro-Iran political and armed groups which have called for end to foreign presence over the past few days.