Hashd al-Shaabi calls on Iraqi gov to expel Americans from Iraq

Rudaw
 ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The powerful Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi has called on the Iraqi government to expel all Americans from Iraq and stop those who plan to visit, following an executive order by the US President Donald Trump who this week banned Iraqis, and citizens from six other countries from entering the US for 90 days.


The Shiite paramilitary, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said in a statement Sunday that it is retaliation to the US decision.


“Following the decision by the US president to prevent the Iraqi citizens from entering the United States, we ask the Iraqi government to prevent Americans from entering Iraq and expel those who are already in the country from all over the Iraqi territories,” Ahmad al-Asadi, the spokesperson for the paramilitary wrote in a press release.


Asadi also called on Iraqi security and concerned departments to take all necessary measures to preserve the rights of Iraq as a state and the dignity of its citizens, who he described as a “nation who fights terrorism … on behalf of the entire world.”

It was not clear from the statement whether the Shiite paramilitary is also calling on the Iraqi government to expel more than 5,000 American troops stationed in Iraq, many of whom are described as military advisors who assist Iraqi and Kurdish troops fighting their common jihadist foes.


Hashd al-Shaabi is an effective force on the ground fighting ISIS militants in in Iraq, including the areas south and west of Mosul as part of the Mosul offensive launched last October.

The Iraqi parliament last December approved a law recognizing Shiite paramilitary as official forces under the umbrella of the army.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order which bans citizens of Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen from traveling to the US for 90 days.

The ban has been criticized by many across the world especially civil rights activists in the United States.