This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Irbil, Iraq • Iraq's prime minister on Tuesday said that a ban preventing his citizens from visiting the United States was an "insult" but that barring Americans in retaliation could hurt national interests during the war against the Islamic State.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi gave a measured response in his first public comments since Iraq was included on a list of seven Muslim-majority countries in President Donald Trump's executive order restricting immigration.

Abadi said he was looking for ways to "reduce the damage" from the decision. He said he would not enforce an equal ban on Americans, a move the Iraqi parliament supported in a vote on Monday.

"We are in the middle of a battle," he said.

More than 5,000 American troops are stationed in Iraq, where they are backing Iraqi forces in their fight against the Islamic State. The visa ban has shaken relations between the two countries as they draw near to defeating the militant group in Mosul, the last major city it controls in Iraq.

The restrictions have increased pressure on Abadi, who is being pushed to act in retaliation to the ban but is beholden to U.S. military support.

Abadi pointed out that it is unfair to tar the entire population of a nation with the same brush.

"There are Americans fighting with" the Islamic State, he said. "I can't say because of that all Americans are terrorists," he quipped. "Each country has good and bad people."

It echoed comments made a day earlier by Iraq's foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who added that no Iraqis had been responsible for acts of terrorism on American soil. Other countries whose nationals have been involved in attacks, such as Saudi Arabia, have escaped ban, which has been imposed for an initial 90 days while the Trump administration makes assessments. Refugee processing has been suspended for 120 days.

The move caused chaos at airports as those with valid visas were turned back. Some Iraqi families who had sold all their possessions after being approved for resettlement were told they couldn't travel.

- - -

The Washington Post's Mustafa Salim in Baghdad contributed to this report.