Trump's surprise Iraq visit sparks calls for US withdrawal

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.

"It's not up to Trump or his politicians to determine the presence of US forces in Iraq - it is decided by the Iraqi people, Iraqi parliament and the Iraqi government," said Hakim al-Zamili, a senior politician in the al-Sadr parliamentary bloc.

"We will not allow Iraq to be a passage or base for attacks on other countries, so there must be a specific time for the American presence in Iraq and a time limit for the US troops to withdraw from Iraq," he added.

Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in Iraq on Wednesday, said he has no plans to withdraw the 5,200 US forces in the country.

Trump's lightning Christmas visit came days after his shock decision to pull all American troops from neighbouring Syria.

The Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba militia said the presence of US forces in Iraq was a "violation of the country's sovereignty" and it was "now the duty of the government to expel American forces".

"Trump's disrespect of Iraq's sovereignty will not go unpunished," it said, adding it would "not allow Iraq to be a base used to threaten other countries".

The head of the pro-Iran Asaib Ahl al-Haq group, Qais al-Khazali, tweeted that "Trump's visit to a US military base without regard for diplomatic norms reveals the reality of the American project in Iraq".

The Iraqi response, he said, "would be the parliament's decision to remove your military forces" unilaterally.

Containing foreign influence has become a hot-button issue in a year that saw al-Sadr supporters win the largest share of votes in May elections.

Sadr has called for curbing US and Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs.

US troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against the Islamic State group.

American forces withdrew in 2011 after invading in 2003 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help fight the jihadist group.

But after defeating IS group militants in their last urban bastions last year, Iraqi politicians and militia leaders are speaking out against the continued presence of US forces on Iraqi soil.

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