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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - France, Germany and Australia have submitted a request to prepare for the withdrawal of their forces from Iraq, a member of the country's security and defence committee confirmed to The National on Monday.
Badr Al Ziyadi announced the request on Monday, saying that the request was sent in a letter to the Iraqi military's Joint Operations Command to set a timetable for the exit of their troops.
"France, Germany and Australia have sent a request to the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare to withdraw from Iraq," Mr Al Ziyadi's spokesperson said by phone.
"Their request has been to set up a timetable for the withdrawal of their troops. The next government will take the responsibility of setting the timetable and the exit strategy for foreign troops."
There was no immediate confirmation of the request from Paris, Berlin or Canberra, and the proposed timetable for the withdrawal remains unknown. The National has contacted the French, German and Australian foreign ministries for comment.
The move to collectively remove hundreds of troops, if confirmed, would mark a major shift in the presence of Western military forces in the country that has long been wracked by war, political unrest and extremist insurgencies.
Germany has a training mission in the country and its Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer visited Baghdad on January 15 in a surprise visit to meet with Iraqi military chiefs amid uncertainty over Berlin's military presence in the country.
The National has reached out to the Iraqi foreign and defence ministries for comment.
It comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Iran that have centred on Iraq after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, last month in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport.
The killing prompted mass protests and revenge attacks against US bases in the country. The US and protesters have for months railed against Iran's growing influence in Baghdad.
Protesters set fire to an entry control point at the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters
Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces and their supporters help their comrade who was wounded during their attempt to attack the US embassy in Baghdad. EPA
US embassy staff and guards are seen through the barbed wire fence as members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces and their supporters attack the entrance of the US embassy in Baghdad. EPA
A US Army Apache helicopter from 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, prepares to conduct overflights of the US embassy in Baghdad. AP
A US soldier mans an observation post at Forward Operating Base Union III in Baghdad. Reuters
US soldiers man a defensive position at Forward Operating Base Union III in Baghdad. Reuters
US Apache helicopters launch flares as they conduct overflights of the US embassy in Baghdad. Reuters
US Marines arrive from an Osprey transport aircraft at the US embassy in Baghdad. Reuters
US Marines prepare to fly into Iraq from Kuwait in support of a crisis response mission. AP
Members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces and their supporters attack the entrance of the US embassy in Baghdad. EPA
Members of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, which is comprised of some Iran-backed militias, and their supporters throw stones as they attack the US embassy during a protest in Baghdad. EPA
Soleimani is believed to have ordered the brutal crackdown on protesters that massed in Baghdad and in southern cities that threatened the rule of the government.
The Iraqi parliament voted last month to call for the withdrawal of US forces from the country. Germany said it would reduce its troop numbers in Iraq for security reasons following the death of Soleimani. Canada said it would move some of its 500 troops out of Iraq and relocate them to Kuwait.
The US sent a letter to the Iraqi military joint operations command last month concerning a possible withdrawal of its troops from the country, but it did not state that all of its troops would be immediately withdrawn.
Updated: February 10, 2020 02:30 PM
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