Al-Monitor | Ali Mamouri: A leader�of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) reacted aggressively May�9�to this week's visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Baghdad, which was not announced beforehand.�


�Americans are in a trouble now, especially considering that US troops' bases are known in Iraq and the region and can be targeted easily,� a senior PMU commander, Moeen al-Kadhimi, said at a press conference two days after Pompeo's visit. He said, �Pompeo's statements indicate the great fear Americans are witnessing today.��Kadhimi said the�targeting of US troops inside and outside of Iraq is always an option if the United States�encroaches on Iraqi sovereignty.


On May 8, Nouri al-Maliki, a�former prime minister and the head of the State of Law Coalition, said, �Iraq should�distance itself�from any regional or international conflict and its sovereignty must be respected.��In his meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David M. Satterfield, Maliki added,��Iraq should not be a departure point for any attack against others.�




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