The PMU says it has made the call for withdrawal out of respect for senior government officials’ decision and in order to preserve the dignity of Iraq and its sovereignty.
The protesters have started to slowly leave after the statement was issued, the Iraqi government’s official website says.
However, the Lebanese news agency Al Mayadeen says the protesters have announced that they are gearing up for a sit-in on the street outside the US embassy until the parliament passes a bill to make the US troops leave Iraq.
The US embassy was attacked by angry protesters on Tuesday, 31 December, following the funeral ceremony held for the members the PMU killed in a US air strike on some targets belonging to the popular forces. The air raid left at least 25 dead.
The US claimed that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the death of an American civilian worker during a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.
The angry protesters torched an empty post guard, and tried to trespass on the US embassy premises, prompting the embassy guards to fire tear gas to repel them.
