Iraqi MPs demand US withdrawal after ‘arrogant Trump visit’

Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday demanded that US forces leave the country, in the wake of a surprise visit by President Donald Trump the previous day, since denounced by politicians as arrogant and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, AP said. Politicians from both blocs of Iraq’s divided parliament called for a vote to expel US troops, and promised to schedule an extraordinary session to debate the matter. “Parliament must clearly and urgently express its view about the ongoing American violations of Iraqi sovereignty,” Salam al-Shimiri, a lawmaker loyal to the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, said. Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in the troubled region, said he has no plans to withdraw the 5,200 US personnel in the country.