Departure of occupiers will increase security in Iraq: Iran ex-diplomat

TEHRAN, Sept. 6 (MNA) -- The former Iranian ambassador to Baghdad has stated that Iraq will become more secure as the foreign occupiers leave the country.

The withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq is being carried out under a bilateral security agreement between Baghdad and Washington, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi said in an interview published on Saturday.

The United States began the process of withdrawing its combat troops from Iraq a few months ago, he added.

And because of the low morale of the U.S. military and the fact that the funding required to run the war has not been approved, the U.S. government has decided to go ahead with the drawdown plan, he said.

He dismissed the argument that ethnic strife and sectarian violence will rise once the U.S.-led coalition forces have left the country, saying certain people make such remarks to justify the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Kazemi-Qomi stated that the presence of foreign forces and the United States’ unilateral policies are some of the factors behind Iraq’s security crisis.

In fact, the inappropriate policies of the occupiers, and especially the United States, have emboldened terrorists in Iraq, he noted.

Thus, as foreign forces pull out of Iraq, insecurity will decline, he added.