Iraqi prime minister says withdrawal of troops would ease tensions

While the Pentagon insists that a letter regarding the departure of troops was sent in error to the Iraqi government last night, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said that its contents had been heeded, and withdrawal was now a necessity.

Iraq’s parliament has urged Abdul Mahdi to expel foreign troops, reflecting widespread anger over the U.S. decision to kill Soleimani on a VIP side road near Baghdad International Airport.

Addressing his cabinet in its first meeting since the strike, the prime minister sounded exasperated over the notion that the United States had not intended to officially notify him that a troop withdrawal had begun.

“They said it’s a draft,” he said. “Okay, it’s a draft — but we received it. … If I don’t trust you and you don’t trust me, how are we supposed to proceed?”