The story: Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is reiterating his rejection of dictations “by any regional player on the presence of US forces” in his country. Kadhimi made the remarks in a statement on March 1. The Iraqi premier has prompted scorn among his rivals for allegedly overlooking a recent US airstrike on Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) along Iraq’s borders with Syria, which left at least one fighter dead.

The coverage: Kadhimi emphasized in his statement that the presence of foreign forces "regardless of their identity" is strictly an "Iraqi government affair"...