{"id":21108,"date":"2018-12-27T15:54:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T15:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:21:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:21:35","slug":"iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BAGHDAD \u2014 Iraqi lawmakers Thursday demanded U.S. forces<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/03\/20\/us-forces-are-needed-here-after-15-years-fight-in-iraq-not-over\/\" target=_blank> leave the country<\/a> in the wake of a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/26\/president-trump-first-lady-make-surprise-iraq-visit\/\" target=_blank> surprise visit by President Donald Trump <\/a>that politicians denounced as arrogant and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Politicians from both blocs of Iraq&#8217;s divided Parliament called for a vote to expel U.S. troops and promised to schedule an extraordinary session to debate the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Parliament must clearly and urgently express its view about the ongoing American violations of Iraqi sovereignty,&#8221; said Salam al-Shimiri, a lawmaker loyal to the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/26\/president-trump-first-lady-make-surprise-iraq-visit\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360702764564.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">President Trump, first lady make surprise Iraq visit<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It is the president&#039;s first conflict zone trip since taking office.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump,<a href=\"http:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/27\/trump-greets-us-troops-in-germany\/\" target=_blank> making his first presidential visit<\/a> to troops in a troubled region Wednesday, said he has no plans to withdraw the 5,200 U.S. forces in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Containing foreign influence has become a hot-button issue in a year that saw al-Sadr supporters win the largest share of votes in May elections. Al-Sadr has called for curbing U.S. and Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2018\/12\/19\/us-troops-are-leaving-but-isis-is-not-defeated-in-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">coalition against the Islamic State group<\/a>. American forces withdrew in 2011 after invading in 2003 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help fight the jihadist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after defeating IS militants in their last urban bastions last year, Iraqi politicians and militia leaders are speaking out against the continued presence of U.S. forces in Iraqi soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Qais Khazali, the head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia that fought key battles against IS in north Iraq, promised on Twitter that Parliament would vote to expel U.S. forces from Iraq, or the militia and others would force them out by &#8220;other means.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/21\/us-troops-to-withdraw-from-syrian-base-near-iraq-jordan-that-has-riled-russia\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ARM-syria-troops-web.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US troops to withdraw from Syrian base near Iraq, Jordan that has riled Russia<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">On at least two occasions, the coalition shot down Iranian Shaheed-129 drones in the vicinity of the Tanf garrison.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khazali was jailed by British and U.S. forces from 2007 to 2010 for managing sections of the Shia insurgency against the occupation during those years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His militia is represented in Parliament by the Binaa bloc, a rival coalition to al-Sadr&#8217;s Islah. Binaa favors close ties with Iran and is aligned with Tehran on regional political issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/27\/in-iraq-visit-trump-makes-false-claim-about-military-pay-again\/\" target=_blank>Trump spent three hours<\/a> at Al-Asad Air Base meeting with U.S. troops during his visit. The president defended his decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2018\/12\/21\/us-troops-to-withdraw-from-syrian-base-near-iraq-jordan-that-has-riled-russia\/\" target=_blank>withdraw 2,000 U.S. forces from neighboring Syria<\/a>, saying the U.S. military had all but eliminated IS-controlled territory there.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/27\/in-iraq-visit-trump-makes-false-claim-about-military-pay-again\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360740856574.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">In Iraq visit, Trump makes false claims about military pay again<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Next year&#039;s pay raise isn&#039;t the first in a decade, and it won&#039;t be a 10 percent increase, despite what the president told troops.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He left without meeting any Iraqi officials, though he spoke to Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi by phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prime minister&#8217;s office said in a statement after Trump&#8217;s visit that &#8220;differences in points of view&#8221; over arrangements led to a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders to be scrapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Shimiri said Trump\u2019s visit \u201cviolated several diplomatic norms.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":19559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1793],"class_list":["post-21108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YOHJA2H47ZHQ7PVLXYGMWKVVJI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-27T15:54:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T05:21:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Issa, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Issa, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-27T15:54:58+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:21:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 439,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-27T15:54:58+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:21:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/27\\\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit - Navy Times","description":"Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit","og_description":"Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2018-12-27T15:54:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T05:21:35+00:00","author":"Philip Issa, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Philip Issa, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit","datePublished":"2018-12-27T15:54:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:21:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/"},"wordCount":439,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/","name":"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-12-27T15:54:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:21:35+00:00","description":"Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a conflict zone, said he has no plans to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/12\/27\/iraqi-lawmakers-demand-us-withdraw-its-troops-after-trumps-surprise-visit-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdraw its troops after Trump\u2019s surprise visit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18360750787908.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21108"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91890,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21108\/revisions\/91890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21108"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=21108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}