Iraq’s prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, says he wants to expel British and American troops from the country. That might be a much easier decision for him to enforce than most people realise, including, perhaps, President Trump when he ordered the killing of Qasem Soleimani. The speed with which Mr Abdul-Mahdi can order western troops home gives Iran a key card in its battle with Mr Trump. That could hand Iraq, Syria and Lebanon over to Tehran, the very purpose for which General Soleimani worked for two decades, without it having to carry out any of the retaliation it is threatening to rain down on American targets. Before President Obama withdrew US troops in 2011, and British troops went with them, his diplomats and lawyers spent…

Source: The Times January 06, 2020 12:11 UTC