The United States is warning Iran and its affiliated militia groups in Iraq against attacking US forces in the country, saying Washington “will not hesitate” to protect itself.
The Iraqi and Kurdistan Region governments have further work to do to combat trafficking in the country, the US State Department has said in light of Baghdad being upgraded from a Tier 3 Watch List to a Tier 2 country in the annual US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
The United States remains “concerned” that some members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) “are not responsive” to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's command and “engage in violent and destabilizing” activities in the region, urging Baghdad to rein the Iran-backed groups, a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.
The United States has urged Baghdad to consult with Yazidis directly as part of full implementation of the Shingal agreement in order to find a durable solution for families who have been displaced from their homes for almost a decade, a US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw.
The US position on the situation in northeast Syria (Rojava) "has not changed," a US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw, adding that the US calls on Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to de-escalate violence and enhance stability in Syria.