Iraq.. Muqtada al-Sadr comments on the end of the American army's mission and this is what he demanded

- The leader of the Iraqi Shiite movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, commented on Wednesday on the end of the deadline for the presence of American and international coalition forces in Iraq. Muqtada al-Sadr stated in a post on his official account on the platform "X" (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday evening: "We announce the independence of Iraq and the definitive end of the American presence and the international coalition, so thank God and thank the efforts of the early resistance fighters and supporters."

The Iraqi Shiite leader added: "We announce the immediate dissolution of the Brigade of the Promised Day and the transformation of the Imam's army into an institution of the supporters of Imam al-Mahdi...". Al-Sadr demanded that "the American army provide compensation for all damages that occurred due to its occupation of Iraqi lands, and that everyone should file legal complaints in this regard," according to a statement reported by the Iraqi News Agency "WAA".

Al-Sadr warned the United States and neighboring countries against "the consequences of interfering in Iraqi affairs, as this could lead to severing relations and reciprocal dealings, especially in political and ideological matters and dragging Iraq into regional conflicts." He continued: "We hope that the United States will engage in diplomatic dealings in kind and not be arrogant towards Iraq, its government, and its people."

Al-Sadr indicated that the end of what he described as "occupation" necessitates the following: - Restricting weapons to the state through a public, studied program with tangible and satisfactory results from the people and the religious authority. - I find it in the interest to have political leaders withdraw from political work immediately and open the door for new faces, in order to end corruption and work on reform. - Strengthening security forces of all kinds and activating them, especially the border guards. Al-Sadr's post came after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaydi announced on Wednesday the official end of the international coalition's mission to combat ISIS in Iraq.

Al-Zaydi stated at an official ceremony in the capital, Baghdad: "We announce the end of the international coalition's mission to combat ISIS, to prove that cooperation between friendly forces and friendly peoples has resulted in a victory over one of the darkest chapters of extremism and brutality in history." He added: "Iraq is now reaping the fruits of tremendous sacrifices and heroic efforts that extended for years, until our security forces of various kinds established their control over the security and field scene throughout Iraq."

The international coalition against ISIS was formed in September 2014, after the organization swept across vast areas of Iraq, and the war continued until December 2017.