Several Iraqi militias, which have been attacking the U.S. for quite some time, have vowed to attack American forces again and expel them by force from Iraq if the December 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. combat troops from the country expires. 

According to Newsweek, the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Commission, a loose organization of paramilitary groups aligned with the Iranian Axis of Resistance that is opposed to the American presence in the region, stated that its members were “closely monitoring the extent of commitment to the outcomes of the so-called strategic dialogue round.” Under the strategic dialogue, in July Washington and Baghdad agreed to withdraw U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

The statement read that the militias “did not believe in the seriousness of the occupation and its commitment” to withdrawing combat troops from Iraq according to the established timeline. In light of this belief, the militia council instead threatened to expel U.S. troops by force.

“We affirm that the weapons of the honorable resistance, which have been talked about a lot in the past days, and some insisted on embroiling them in recent political rivalries, will be ready to dismember the occupation as soon as the moment comes and the deadline ends after twelve o’clock in the evening of 12/31/2021,” the statement added.