Iraq
A protester in Baghdad holds a placard calling for the expulsion of US forces from Iraq on January 24, 2020. Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government has started disseminating a survey through SMS, asking citizens of the country whether or not they support the expulsion of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), amid a series of American retaliatory strikes targeting bases of government-linked militia groups.
Iran-aligned militias have struck bases of the international coalition in Iraq and Syria with rockets and drones over 100 times since October 17, against the backdrop of Washington’s support for Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip.
US forces have responded with several retaliatory strikes, targeting militia groups they blame for the attacks. The Iraqi government has strongly condemned American retaliatory attacks, which have killed at least 11, calling them a “violation” of its sovereignty as it targets state security forces.
Over the past few days, citizens across Iraq have received a text message from the General Secretariat of Council of Ministers reading “do you support the continuation of the international coalition's mission in Iraq?” and asking them to fill out a survey through an attached link.
The link leads to a poll on the government’s Ur Portal for electronic services. The participants are then asked to fill out basic information about themselves, but are not required to provide their names or a method of identification.
The poll asks the participants if they support the expulsion of the coalition forces, and if the answer is yes, should it be done “through dialogue” or “by any means.”
The poll currently does not have a system to block people from filling out the survey more than once, and appears to be accessible by users from all around the world, not just Iraq.
The Iraqi government has recently been under increasing pressure to expel coalition forces from the country, after an American drone strike targeted the PMF’s Harakat al-Nujaba in Baghdad on Thursday, killing two.
A day after the deadly strike, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said that the government is working to establish a committee to end the presence of the international coalition in the country.
Thousands of foreign military personnel are stationed in Iraq as part of the international coalition which has assisted Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS and has continued to provide training and advice to the armed groups since the militant group’s territorial defeat in 2017.
In a meeting with coalition commander Major General Joel B. Vowell on Tuesday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stressed the importance of the coalition continuing to pursue its mission in the country.
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