MPs demand ban on American visitors, expats

Iraq should “reciprocate” the United States’ discriminatory travel ban on Iraqis and citizens from six other Muslim-majority countries, the parliament’s foreign affairs committee told the Baghdad government. The committee issued the call on Sunday following a meeting in the capital to discuss US President Donald Trump’s ban. “We ask the Iraqi government to reciprocate to […]

Iraq should “reciprocate” the United States’ discriminatory travel ban on Iraqis and citizens from six other Muslim-majority countries, the parliament’s foreign affairs committee told the Baghdad government.
The committee issued the call on Sunday following a meeting in the capital to discuss US President Donald Trump’s ban. “We ask the Iraqi government to reciprocate to the decision taken by the US administration,” said the committee in a statement read to Reuters by one its members, Hassan Shwerid. “Iraq is in the frontline of the war of terrorism … and it is unfair that the Iraqis are treated in this way.”
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation force also called for a ban, and for Americans already in the country to be expelled.
Popular Mobilisation is a coalition of Shia paramilitary groups armed and trained by Iran to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).
An Iraqi government body approved the force last year.
Popular Mobilisation’s call to ban US nationals came in a statement published by its spokesman, Ahmed al-Assadi.