"IS [Daesh] leader Baghdadi is in the Western Desert in Anbar province under US military's protection… He travels between Iraq and Syria protected by the United States", Salem said, as quoted by the Lebanese El-Nashra news outlet.
The lawmaker noted that support of the Daesh leader was provided from Ayn al-Asad airbase, where US troops were deployed. Salem also added that the United States "supported Baghdadi out of concerns over possible endorsement of bill on expelling US troops from Iraq".
READ MORE: US Forces in Eastern Syria Made 'Gold for Safe Passage' Deal With Daesh – Report
Baghdadi's death has been reported numerous times in recent years, but the terrorist leader has re-emerged each time. In June 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Baghdadi could have been killed as a result of a strike by the Russian Aerospace Forces on May 28, 2017, in the southern suburbs of Raqqa. But in September 2017, an alleged audio recording of Baghdadi emerged, casting fresh doubt on whether the terrorist leader is currently dead or alive.
On 3 February, US President Donald Trump told CBS News in an interview that the United States was keeping it troops in Iraq in order to be able to "watch Iran". Following the statement, Iraqi Parliament First Deputy Speaker Hassan Kaabi said that the legislature intended to work out a bill on termination of the security agreement with the United States, which will lead to withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.
READ MORE: Berlin Considering Revoking German Passports of ‘Dual Citizens’ Who Joined Daesh
Iraqi President Barham Salih also noted that Washington did not request permission from Baghdad to deploy US troops to the country in order to "watch" Tehran.
*Daesh, also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State, is the terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries.
