Press Release
Liberation of the Country is only Possible by uprooting the Occupier and its Roots: Militarily, Politically, Economically, and Culturally
(Translated)

Since the US forces' occupation of Iraq in 2003, Iraq has been suffering under America's control, which has tightened its grip on the country. It maintains control over its security and economy through two issues:

First: Resolution 13303 concerning Iraq in 2003, a decree through which the state of national emergency related to the situation in Iraq is extended. This extinction is renewed annually. However, what caught attention was President Biden's announcement of this extension, which used to be a routine annual renewal. It seems like a message to the Iraqi government, pressuring it to address the issue of armed factions, especially since this announcement came after the statements of the US ambassador to Baghdad, Alina Romanowski, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023: "Iraqis do not want a state controlled by “militias”, and the United States will not leave the region." She also emphasized that "Iraq holds great strategic importance for Washington."

Second: The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), established under Security Council Resolution 1500 in August 2003, has been renewed by the United Nations Security Council every year. Most recently, Resolution 2631 was adopted in May, which extended the mandate of UNAMI until the end of May 2023. This is evident in the political role played by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the diplomatic representative of UNAMI, and her intensified political activities and meetings with various political blocs, including parties affiliated with armed factions.

Through these two factors, Iraq remains under international (American) guardianship even after exiting Chapter VII. This means that it is a country devoid of sovereignty and independence.

O Muslims in Iraq: Since its declaration in 2003 as an occupying force, the American occupier had no intention of ending the state of occupation. Everything the United States has done, with its malicious acts suggesting its withdrawal from the country, is nothing but pure deception and lies to the Iraqi people. In 2008, when it concluded the Strategic Framework Agreement with the Iraqi government, which was promoted as paving the way for the complete withdrawal of US forces by late 2011, this agreement simultaneously regulated the relations between the two countries in various political, security, economic, cultural, and other aspects, further solidifying its presence. It was leaving through the door and entering through the window. Nevertheless, in 2014, it returned at the request of the Iraqi government to combat the Islamic State organization. Therefore, all indications suggest that the American occupier cannot leave Iraq, and all those agreements and decisions are aimed at consolidating its presence. Even the voices that once echoed demanding the withdrawal of US forces have diminished after Al-Sudani assumed the presidency of the government.

O Muslims in Iraq: Know that there is no liberation of the country except by uprooting the occupier and its roots: militarily, politically, economically, and culturally. The Shariah has forbidden the kuffar from having any authority over the believer. Allah says:

[وَلَنْ يَجْعَلَ اللهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلاً]

“and never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way [to overcome them].” [An-Nisa’: 141]

Therefore, it is a religious duty to engage in earnest action and prepare for the downfall of this political system imposed by the American occupier and return to our Islamic identity. There is no honor, sovereignty, or security for us except through ruling by what Allah has revealed by establishing the Caliphate on the method of Prophethood. On that day, the hands and feet of the invaders will be severed, and the country will be liberated, and true sovereignty will be achieved.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Iraq