Iraqi clerics urge caution ahead of Global Coalition exit
Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Najaf
Senior Iraqi clerics on Friday urged the government to manage relations with Washington cautiously ahead of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s upcoming visit to the United States and the September 30 deadline for ending the US-led Coalition’s military mission in Iraq.
Abdul Wahab Al-Samarrai, imam and preacher of Baghdad’s Abu Hanifa Mosque, warned against policies that could expose Iraq to renewed economic pressure, saying some Iraqis were again discussing sanctions and recalling the hardships of the 1990s embargo.
“We sent a message to our government and its prime minister that... the interests of the country and its people must come before the interests of factions and individuals,” Al-Samarrai said during Friday prayers, urging officials not to “gamble with the country’s fate.”
In Najaf, Friday prayer leader Sadr Al-Din Al-Qubbanji, who is also a senior Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq leader, said the country’s outstanding issues with Washington should be handled “rationally,” warning that any political or security instability in Iraq could trigger a wider regional crisis and disrupt the global economy.
Read more: Religion in Iraq: Heritage of civilization or a catalyst for conflict?
Government spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi announced on September 17 that Al-Zaidi would travel to the United States the following week to attend the UN General Assembly, deliver Iraq’s address, meet US President Donald Trump and other heads of state, and attend a US Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The visit comes days before the September 30 deadline for ending the US-led Coalition’s military mission in Iraq and Operation Inherent Resolve in the country, under the timeline agreed by Baghdad and Washington in 2024. In July, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed that Washington remained committed to implementing the agreement by that date.
Read more: Iraq to assume full security responsibility as Coalition mission ends
