"If an agreement on the expulsion of US forces from Iraq is not concluded in Washington, we reserve the right to target America’s interests in Iraq. We do not expect Kadhimi to return to his own country from Washington with new expansionist plots and scenarios devised by the United States", the groups' joint statement said.

In the official statement, the PMU groups called on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to make the US withdrawal a top priority of his current visit to Washington. They stressed that such a measure was previously requested by the Iraqi parliament, which had passed a non-binding motion to expel all foreign forces in January.

During a recent meeting with al-Kadhimi, Trump suggested that most American servicemen will be "leaving [the country] shortly" but failed to give a definitive timeline.

US Withdrawal Timetable Unknown

The threat comes after US President Donald Trump mulled withdrawing American forces from Iraq, hinting that it might happen soon, but refusing to give a definitive timetable.

"We'll be leaving shortly. We have very few soldiers in Iraq [...] but we're there to help. And the prime minister knows that", Trump said.

Despite pledging to end US participation in "endless wars" during his election campaign, Trump has failed to completely withdraw American troops from active conflict zones. He made two promises to withdraw US servicemen from Syria, but both times he left behind a smaller contingent of forces under various pretexts.

Reporter’s code: 50101