Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. Reuters

Al Sudani says he is not opposed to keeping US forces in Iraq


Robert Tollast
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has said he is not opposed to a continued US troop presence in Iraq, a statement that is likely to anger Iran-backed militias aligned to his political coalition.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr Al Sudani said that the “elimination of ISIS needs some more time”, when asked about the US troop presence, which has been authorised by the Iraqi government to train the Iraqi army since 2014.

About 2,500 US soldiers remain in Iraq, from a high of over 5,000 during the war against ISIS between 2014 and 2018. The small contingent was deployed to Iraq following a withdrawal of US forces in 2011 after eight years of occupation. At its peak, the force numbered 170,000 in 2007, when Iraq was beset with sectarian violence and fighting between international coalition forces and insurgents.

  • Iraqi army forces guard the entrance of the high-security Green Zone in Baghdad. AFP
    Iraqi army forces guard the entrance of the high-security Green Zone in Baghdad. AFP
  • An Iraqi army helicopter takes off at a base in Sinjar on a mission to clear out a Kurdish-linked militia. AP
    An Iraqi army helicopter takes off at a base in Sinjar on a mission to clear out a Kurdish-linked militia. AP
  • Iraq's Rapid Intervention forces patrol a village in the Hawi Al Azim area of Diyala province. AFP
    Iraq's Rapid Intervention forces patrol a village in the Hawi Al Azim area of Diyala province. AFP
  • Iraqi forces inspect a structure in a village in Diyala. AFP
    Iraqi forces inspect a structure in a village in Diyala. AFP
  • Soldiers patrolling in Diyala province. AFP
    Soldiers patrolling in Diyala province. AFP
  • Members of Iraq's Rapid Intervention forces in a village in the Hawi Al Azim area. AFP
    Members of Iraq's Rapid Intervention forces in a village in the Hawi Al Azim area. AFP
  • Iraqi forces patrol in Diyala province. AFP
    Iraqi forces patrol in Diyala province. AFP
  • Iraqi forces in the Hawi Al Azim area. AFP
    Iraqi forces in the Hawi Al Azim area. AFP
  • A military base in Diyala that was attacked by ISIS. AFP
    A military base in Diyala that was attacked by ISIS. AFP
  • Military vehicles at Al Waleed air base near Al Tanf in Iraq. Reuters
    Military vehicles at Al Waleed air base near Al Tanf in Iraq. Reuters

In the interim period, between December 2011 and the summer of 2014, ISIS attacks surged throughout Iraq.

During the war to defeat the group, small contingents of coalition forces assisted the Baghdad government and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

US-Iran rivalry

Despite their role being almost entirely limited to training — some coalition special forces were deployed on combat missions with Iraqi government permission — their involvement in the war was strongly opposed by Iran-linked political parties and militias.

The militias were part of a coalition of groups known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces linked to the largest political bloc in Iraq’s parliament, the Co-ordination Framework.

During the war to expel ISIS from Iraqi cities, Iran-backed militias refrained from launching attacks on Coalition forces. But as soon as ISIS attacks plummeted, after the battle of Mosul in 2017, the PMF stepped up attacks.

There followed two years of violence between the US and the militias, escalating until a US military contractor was killed in December 2019.

The US then launched a drone strike on the leader of the PMF, Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis and Iranian Quds Force general Qassem Suleimani, killing them both.

Earlier this month, Mr Al Sudani attended a memorial service for both of the men, alongside the president of Iraq Latif Rashid and the head of Iraq’s judiciary, Faiq Zaidan.

The PMF and allied politicians aligned to Mr Al Sudani, most notably Qais Al Khazali — who founded the US-designated terror group Asaib Ahl Al Haq — continue to insist that US forces leave Iraq. Mr Al Khazali’s Sadiqun party now controls the higher education ministry.

Successive Iraqi governments have resisted their demands, saying the foreign forces provide important support to stop an ISIS resurgence.

Since losing its last urban stronghold of Mosul in 2017, the group has been confined to remote, rugged terrain, launching only sporadic attacks.

Mr Al Sudani said in the interview that he believed Iraq could maintain good ties with both Iran and the US, something multiple Iraqi governments have attempted over the past 10 years.

“I don’t see this as an impossible matter, to see Iraq have a good relationship with Iran and the US,” Mr Al Sudani told the newspaper.

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Publisher: EA Sports

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Rating: 3/5

It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

Fanney Khan

Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora

Director: Atul Manjrekar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand

Rating: 2/5 

Red Joan

Director: Trevor Nunn

Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova

Rating: 3/5 stars

F1 line ups in 2018

Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Tips for SMEs to cope
  • Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
  • Make sure you have an online presence
  • Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
  • Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
    Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

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Updated: January 15, 2023, 6:01 PM