Iraq parliament urges govt to oust US-led coalition forces

Baghdad also moves United Nations Security Council over US strikes that killed Iranian commander Soleimani

BAGHDAD: Iraq's parliament urged the government on Sunday to end the presence of US-led coalition forces in the country, outraged by an American strike that killed Iranian and Iraqi commanders last week.

Some 5,200 US soldiers are stationed across Iraqi bases after an invitation by the Iraqi government in 2014 to support local troops fighting the Islamic State group.

"The parliament has voted to commit the Iraqi government to cancel its request to the international coalition for help to fight IS," speaker Mohammed Halbusi announced.

Earlier in the day, the head of Lebanon's Shia movement Hezbollah called on Iraq to free itself of the American "occupation" after top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US strike in Baghdad.

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"Our demand, our hope from our brothers in the Iraqi parliament is... to adopt a law that demands American forces withdraw from Iraq," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

Complaint to UNSC

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has said that it had submitted complaints to the United Nations Security Council over US strikes on Iraq that killed an Iranian general, an Iraqi commander and other local forces.

The foreign ministry said it had submitted two letters to the UN and asked the Security Council to condemn the "assassination" of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in an American drone strike on Baghdad.