Missile attacks by 'terrorists,’ not fighters: Iraq

BAGHDAD

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that rocket attacks in his country are being conducted not by "resistance fighters but rather terrorists."

"There is no resistance in Iraq. There is a democratic state in the country and you can visit the parliament,” Hussein told Iraqi channel Alsumaria in an interview Thursday.

The terrorists “are against the government as well as the people," he said.

"The government started a strategic dialogue with the United States in June 2020 which led to the withdrawal of foreign forces," he said. "Before the start of the strategic dialogue, the number of coalition forces was 5,200 soldiers and now they are less than 2,500."

Hussein asked: "Did the foreign soldiers leave due to the missiles or did they leave due to the dialogue?"

Regarding the election, the minister said his country did not request international supervision of early elections scheduled for Oct. 10, however, it requested a mechanism to help Iraqis hold the polls.

The Green Zone has regularly come under rocket attack since the Jan. 2020 assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike.

Washington blames Iran-backed Shia militias for rocket attacks on foreign diplomatic missions and US and foreign troops in Iraq.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara