In his weekly statement on the foreign agenda, HÜDA PAR Chairman İshak Sağlam urged Turkey to close the U.S. bases in the country.

HÜDA PAR Chairman Ishak Sağlam, who said that peace and security would not come to the region unless the United States and the Zionist occupation regime were removed from the Islamic countries, also warned Turkey to draw lessons from the events in Iraq and to close the US bases.

He also made evaluations about the attack in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, which was carried out by a car bomb, killing at least 90 people.

The U.S. attacks on Iraq

Speaking of the U.S. terrorist attack on Iranian and Iraqi military officials in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, Sağlam said: "The United States recently carried out air strikes on three separate bases belonging to Iraqi army militia forces, and 28 people were killed in the attacks. Finally, a group was targeted, including Iranian General November Soleimani. The United States, which carried out a military buildup in Iraq after its invasion in 2003 on the pretext of bringing freedom, is escalating tensions in the region, especially in Iraq, with provocative attacks. Conducting massacres under the name of "defensive attacks" in Iraq, where there have been mass demonstrations and acts of violence as well as the political crisis, aims at deepening the chaotic situation. The direct targeting of Iranian officials is also the Trump administration's project to drag the region into a new war.

"All political, religious and ideological groups should come together, regardless of sects and ideology, against U.S. intervention"

Underlining that all necessary steps should be taken to end the U.S. military presence in Iraq, Sağlam went on to say: " All political, religious and ideological groups should come together, regardless of sects and ideology, against the US intervention that hinders political stability in Iraq and aims to collapse the country's security policy. The fact that the United States, which had previously announced that it would reduce its military presence in the Middle East, is now sending additional troops to bases on security grounds reveals that it intends to settle in the region and spread its occupation thoroughly. The United States has deepened the chaos in all the countries, in which it has been involved to date, directly affecting the political atmosphere of the countries through its military bases, and directing the economic, defense and security policies of the countries in its interests. In this sense, the decision taken by the Iraqi central government on the expulsion of foreign troops in Iraq is important. Regional countries and international organizations should take an active role in the implementation of this decision."

"The US and the zionist occupation regime should be removed from the Islamic countries"

"The recent incident has shown once again that it is imperative to act together against the US and the zionist occupation regime. Peace and stability will never come to the region unless the US and occupation regime are removed from the Islamic lands. We hereby invite Turkey to draw lessons from the events in Iraq and to close the US bases in the country," he added.

The attack in Mogadishu

Reminding that at least 90 people, most of them civilians, were killed in a bomb car attack in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, Sağlam said: "We wish Allah mercy to those who lost their lives in the attack, and urgent healing to the wounded. Those who claimed responsibility for the attack, in which civilians were massacred, said the target was a Turkish convoy and they accused Turkey of exploiting the country's resources. In Somalia, one of the poorest countries in the world, where food shortages and epidemics are common, Turkey ranks first in humanitarian activities. Targeting Turkey, which makes investments such as hospitals, airports and roads in the country, aims to stop the humanitarian investments that will ensure rehabilitation and prosperity.

"Turkey, together with the Somali people and government, should be pioneer to develop the country"

Calling on Turkey not to suspend the humanitarian aids due to the attacks, Sağlam said: "Despite the country's economic downturn, armed organizations that focus on violent acts targeting civilians rather than pursuing a solution-oriented policy are the biggest obstacle to stability. Turkey, together with the Somali people and government, should be pioneer to develop the country. (İLKHA)