Iraqi PM Tells US To Decide How To Withdraw Troops

The Iraqi prime minister has told the United States to send a delegation to Iraq to decide how to withdraw its troops from the country.

The request came in a telephone call between Adel Abdul-Mahdi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday night, according to a statement from the caretaker prime minister's office.

Mr Pompeo called Mr Abdul-Mahdi, the statement said.

The prime minister said Iraq rejects all violations against its sovereignty, including the attacks carried out by Iranian forces against US troops in Iraq and the US air strike that killed a top Iranian general last week.

According to the statement, the Iraqi leader asked Mr Pompeo to "send delegates to Iraq to prepare a mechanism to carry out the parliament's resolution regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq".

It comes after the Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding resolution to expel foreign troops, including British personnel.

WATCH: Expert describes US-Iraq talks as a 'pretty significant development'.

The UK is part of a US-led coalition in Iraq, training the country's Security Forces to fight so-called Islamic State (IS).

Dr Julie Norman, an expert in International Relations at University College London, said: “This is certainly a pretty significant development, one that we probably expected. 

"This is something that of course the US and the UK don’t want to see."

Around 400 British Army soldiers are deployed to Iraq across three different bases in a non-combat role, with more than 5,000 American troops in the country.

Cover Image: American troops at Al Asad air base in Iraq (Picture: US Department of Defense).