WASHINGTON has been accused of transferring Isis fighters into Iraq to force parliament to reverse a decision demanding its troops leave the country.

The Council of Representatives voted 170-0 on January 5 in a non-binding resolution ordering an end to the US presence in Iraq where it had around 5,200 troops stationed in military bases.

They were invited back into Iraq in 2014 to help in the coalition fight against Isis, after the jihadists took control of large swathes of the country and made Mosul its regional caliphate.

But anger has deepened after the targeted assassination of the Iranian Quds Force commander General Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad International airport on January 3.

Washington has given mixed messages about whether it will comply with the request and critics have accused the US of acting as an occupying force for a second time since the illegal invasion in 2003.

Qusai al-Anbari, who leads the Badr Organisation in Anbar province, claimed on Sunday that US forces are relocating Isis fighters from Syria to the region after the area was cleansed of jihadist forces.

This claim was supported by Iraqi security commentator Karim al-Khikani who said Isis operatives had been trained at US bases in Syria, including al-Tanf.

Protests took place across Iraq on Sunday, including the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala as demands for political and economic reform continue to grow.

Dozens were injured during clashes with authorities in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and Tayaran Square, with roads and bridges blocked by protesters.

Preparations are under way for Friday’s “million-man march” called by Islamist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to demand that US troops leave Iraq.

Mr Sadr called for the government to refrain from attacking the demonstration.

“I hope they are committed to peace, not to harm the security of the people and to subject the country to a fierce civil war,” he said.