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Khamenei Asks Abdul Hadi To Expel US Troops From Iraq 'Immediately'

Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)
Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)
    Baghdad, London - Hamzah Mustafa, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Khamenei Asks Abdul Hadi To Expel US Troops From Iraq 'Immediately'

Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)
Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called Saturday on Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Hadi to work on expelling US forces from Iraq immediately.

Khamenei was speaking as sources reported that the US is about to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its external branch, the Quds Force, on its black list of foreign terrorist organizations.

“The Iraqi government should do something [to ensure] that American military troops will leave Iraq as soon as possible,” Khamenei’s official website quoted him as saying. He added that the US constitutes a threat on the current democratic process in Iraq.

"You need to do something that Americans would withdraw their military forces from Iraq as soon as possible. Because sending them out have always been a problem wherever they stayed for a long time," Khamenei told Abdul Mahdi.

Khamenei later said that the current government, parliament and political activists in Iraq are undesirable for America, and the Americans are planning to push them out of Iraq's political scene.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported this week that the United States would designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

Reuters said it spoke with three US officials that confirmed that Trump’s administration would announce the decision as soon as Monday and that concerned defense officials were bracing for the impact.

Two weeks ago, a spokesperson from the Pentagon denied reports published by the New York Times about Washington’s fears on the safety of US troops in Iraq.

The expected US announcement would come ahead of the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and to re-impose sanctions that had crippled Iran’s economy.

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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions, The Associated Press said.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the UN said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.