Iraq welcomes removal from revised US travel ban

The original order angered many Iraqis, and prompted parliament to call for a reciprocal ban on Americans entering Iraq. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declined to impose such a measure.

The revised U.S. travel order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

A fact sheet detailing the order cited negotiations that resulted in Iraq agreeing to “increase co-operation with the U.S. government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States.”

Thousands of American forces are in Iraq providing air support and logistical help for a massive operation to drive IS militants from Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Smaller numbers of U.S. special operations forces are embedded with some Iraqi units.

Support from a U.S.-led coalition has been critical in the fight against IS, helping Iraqi forces to slowly roll back the militants over the past two and a half years. Iraqi forces are now in the midst of their toughest battle yet against IS as they push to retake Mosul’s west after the eastern half of the city was declared “full liberated” in January.

Iraqi troops on the front lines welcomed the revision to the travel ban while still expressing anger over the original order.

“To be honest, (the original ban) made me upset and that will not change,” said Sgt. Maj. Asad al-Asadi of Iraq’s special forces, who has been away from home battling IS for nearly three years. “I’ve lost three friends fighting terrorists and Trump calls me a terrorist.”

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Associated Press writer Susannah George in Mosul, Iraq contributed to this report.

Qassim Abdul-Zahra And Sinan Salaheddin, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Iraq welcomes removal from revised US travel ban

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