Iranian military advisers all leave Iraq: Envoy

Tehran, Dec 30 (IANS) Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi said all Iranian military advisers have left Iraq after the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) militants, Tehran Times daily reported on Saturday."Unlike Iran, the US forces have remained in Iraq despite the end of IS" and are "building new military headquarters" there, Masjedi was quoted as saying on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.The Iranian ambassador called the US military presence in the region "not justified," saying the regional countries have enough local forces to protect themselves."The US strategic policy in the region is to create instability and crisis. So it impedes any effort that results in peace," he noted.On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Iraq, which was his first trip to US troops deployed in a combat zone since he assumed the presidency in 2017.
--IANS vc/