Senior Iraqi MP Warns US Forces to Leave Iraq Immediately or Face Death

Hossein Salem in a statement quoted by the Arabic-language website of Russia Today asked the Iraqi government to pressure the US forces to leave Iraq soon.

He also warned of the imminent adoption of the military option against the US troops if they remain adamant to a pullout from Iraq.

“If the Americans do not leave, they will be within the range of the Islamic Resistance’s weapons and their embassy, consulate and centers will be targeted first and we do not accept any pretext from them. We neither want training, nor support and military advisors,” Salem said.

His remarks came after a leading Shiite Muslim cleric followed by a large number of Iraqi people issued a public religious fatwa forbidding the presence of US troops in Iraq.

The fatwa issued Friday by Grand Ayatollah Kazem al-Haeri came after Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq accused the US of being behind recent attacks on their bases and weapons depots in Iraq.

Two US officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of a weapons depot in Iraq on July 19.
Ayatollah Haeri called on the Iraqi armed forces to “resist and confront the enemy”.