(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - “To take revenge on Iraqis for their joy over the withdrawal of the occupying [American] forces, the US commissioned consecutive bombings and killings in Iraq in order to [also] convey that the Americans were the source of peace in the country and that their withdrawal created instability,” said Hojjatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi said on Friday.
The Iranian cleric added that the presence of American forces in Iraq resulted in Muslim hatred and international loathing for the US, emphasizing that Shia, Sunni, Kurd and Arab all wanted US troops out of Iraq.
Seddiqi advised the Iraqi nation to maintain unity and continue resistance to thwart enemy plots.
Iraq has witnessed a surge in violence and bombing attacks over the past few weeks.
At least 78 people were killed during multiple bomb attacks that rocked the capital's mainly Shia neighborhoods of Sadr City and Kazimiyeh and the city of Nassiriya on Thursday.
December 31 marked the termination of a nearly nine-year US military invasion and occupation of Iraq in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement signed by Baghdad and Washington during the administration of former US President George W. Bush.
Despite the withdrawal, however, some 8,000 US troops, some 14 warplanes, 125 helicopters and 28 US drones continue to remain in the country's northern Kurdistan region, reports say.
In addition, US President Barack Obama has vowed to maintain what he has described as a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq, which includes a large number of armed security guards.
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6 January 2012 - 20:30
News ID: 289125
Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader says after being forced into a shameful retreat, the US resorted to bombings to take revenge on the Iraqi nation and government.
