Iraq’s Top Court Rejects Case Seeking to Expel US Forces

Training at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq (Archive - US Army)
Training at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq (Archive - US Army)
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Iraq’s Top Court Rejects Case Seeking to Expel US Forces

Training at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq (Archive - US Army)
Training at Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq (Archive - US Army)

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court (FSC) rejected a lawsuit filed by two lawmakers seeking to expel US forces from Iraq.
The FSC stated on their website that they had dismissed the lawsuit against the President and the Prime Minister of Iraq, filed by parliament members Basem Khashan and Mustafa Sind, due to lack of jurisdiction.
The lawsuit included a demand seeking to invalidate the defendants’ approval to allow US forces to stay in Iraq, and for US forces to restore the areas and facilities that they were exploiting, and compensation for the damages caused by their operations from 2009 until the facilities were handed over to the Iraqi government.
While legal experts see a political way to remove US forces from Iraq, Maj.Gen. Yahya Rasool, the military spokesperson for the Iraqi government, says that “negotiation committees have made significant progress in transitioning the international coalition’s mission.”
US forces are leading the international coalition to fight the ISIS terror group in Iraq.
Rasool added that “the government has largely reduced attacks on Iraqi military bases where coalition advisors are present.”
He emphasized that “Iraq has a military security agreement with the US, and negotiation committees have made good progress in ensuring Iraq maintains good relations with the US."
Legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi explained that “after ISIS’s attack, Iraq officially asked the US for help under UN Security Council Resolution 2170, which brought coalition forces for air support, training, and assistance.”
“Nevertheless, no new agreement exists for foreign troops or bases, so the Iraqi government can request their removal after a parliamentary vote.”
He stressed that “Iraq can also formally request the UN Security Council to remove coalition forces, including US forces, following the same procedure as their entry.”
 



Iraqi Oil Minister: Kurdistan Region's Oil Exports to Resume Next Week

A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters
A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters
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Iraqi Oil Minister: Kurdistan Region's Oil Exports to Resume Next Week

A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters
A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters

Oil exports from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region will resume next week, Iraq's oil minister said on Monday, resolving a near two-year dispute as ties between Baghdad and Erbil improve.
The oil flows were halted by Türkiye in March 2023 after the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages of $1.5 billion for unauthorized pipeline exports by the Kurdistan Regional Government between 2014 and 2018.

"Tomorrow, a delegation from the Ministry of Oil... will visit the Kurdish region to negotiate the mechanism for receiving oil from the region and exporting it. The export process will resume within a week," Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani told reporters.

According to Reuters, he added that Baghdad would receive 300,000 barrels per day from the region.

Erbil-based Rudaw TV earlier cited Kurdistan's natural resources minister, Kamal Mohammed, as saying oil exports could resume before March as all legal procedures have been completed.

The Iraqi parliament approved a budget amendment this month to subsidize production costs for international oil companies operating in Kurdistan, a move aimed at unblocking northern oil exports.

The resumption is expected to ease economic pressure in the Kurdistan region, where the halt has led to salary delays for public sector workers and cuts to essential services.