Iraqi parliamentary committee to summon foreign minister

Baghdad, February 4 — Deputy Head of the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, Naif Al-Shammari, revealed in a media interview that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani was not informed about the recent U.S. airstrike. The Iraqi Parliament plans to convene an “emergency” session, calling upon Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to discuss a forthcoming Iraqi complaint against the U.S. attacks at the United Nations Security Council.

Al-Shammari stated, “The Security and Defense Committee has called for an emergency session to discuss the recent American aggressions on Iraqi territory. I believe there will be a hosting of the Foreign Minister to present a complaint in the Security Council through diplomatic channels. The committee will make a field visit tomorrow, Sunday, to all the sites that were bombed yesterday.”

Addressing the question of whether the Iraqi government was informed, Al-Shammari added, “The Iraqi government was not aware of such a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and was never officially informed. Last night, I was visiting the Prime Minister; he had no knowledge of this aggression whatsoever, and had Al-Sudani known, he would not have accepted it.”

The Prime Minister has called for an emergency session with political bloc leaders and those with a significant role in forming the government and managing the state coalition, indicating that decisive measures may follow.

When asked about the continuation of committees scheduled for coalition withdrawal after last night’s bombing, Al-Shammari speculated, “I expect not, and there will be tension in the situation. What happened last night has undermined everything the Prime Minister had reached regarding the suspension of military operations and the work of the committees.”

Responding to a tweet by former prime minister, Haider Al-Abadi about minimizing state powers, Al-Shammari disagreed, emphasizing, “Iraq has its men who, and Iraq will not be minimized. The heroes of Iraq on the ground are the ones who favored us in liberating Mosul. There was a role for the international coalition in air support, but the Iraqis decided the battle.”

On the potential for escalating tensions between factions and Americans facilitating the return of ISIS, Al-Shammari confidently stated, “ISIS will not return and is gone forever. ISIS will not pass through Salahuddin, Nineveh, and Anbar provinces again except over our dead bodies. What is rumored is just to scare the residents.”

Al-Shammari’s message to the factions was clear: “No Iraqi accepts occupation, but I hope they allow Al-Sudani to schedule the withdrawal of all foreign forces present on Iraqi soil. Speaking on behalf of Nineveh, we do not want occupation, what have we seen from it but the loss of youth, displacement, and all we have lost?”

He highlighted Al-Sudani’s focus on the security situation in Nineveh, his invitation to visit without protection, and discussions on opening the Rabia border crossing, which is economically vital for Mosul. Many Mosul residents have family ties to Syria, and the border, as drawn, has divided tribes, affecting family visits. Al-Sudani promised to open the crossing, Al-Shammari concluded.