Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Tuesday and said that the US is committed to maintaining its military presence in the country.
The US currently has about 2,500 troops based in Iraq to help the Iraqi government fight against ISIS. Austin’s visit to the country comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, which destabilized the region and led to the rise of ISIS.
“I should underscore that US forces are ready to remain in Iraq, at the invitation of the Government of Iraq, to support the Iraqi-led fight against Daesh (ISIS),” Austin said in comments to the media while in Erbil, Iraq.
The US presence in Iraq is a divisive issue, as many are opposed to US troops being stationed there. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani came out in favor of the continued presence in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in January after keeping silent on the issue.
Austin traveled to Baghdad to meet with al-Sudani and Iraqi Defense Minister Defense Thabit al-Abbasi. According to the Pentagon, Austin and al-Sudani “renewed their mutual commitment to long-term defense cooperation.”
Al-Sudani’s predecessor, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, was under a lot of pressure to get US forces to leave as he came into office a few months after the US killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. The strike also killed Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and led to the Iraqi parliament voting to expel US troops.
The pressure led to Kadhimi working out a deal that led to the US formally ending its “combat mission” in Iraq at the end of 2021, changing it to an “advisory role.” But the move was just a formality and had no impact on the number of US forces in Iraq as no troops were withdrawn.
The US presence in Iraq supports the US occupation of Syria, where about 900 US troops are stationed. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley made a rare visit to Syria over the weekend to justify the continued presence. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has introduced a War Powers Resolution to withdraw all US troops from Syria that the House is expected to vote on Wednesday.
Maybe they’re still there for a future attack on Iran? Or, just to protect the corps. pumping Iraqi oil?
It’s mainly the ladder. ISIS was a western sponsored movement that was quickly crushed by Russians, Iranian, and Syrian forces few years back.
It’s mainly the ladder. ISIS was a western sponsored movement that was quickly crushed by Russians, Iranian, and Syrian forces few years back.
Jesus, now into the THIRD DECADE of the Iraq occupation. I don’t suppose we’ll ever get out in my lifetime.
Iraq, the textbook ex ample that FOX news is not the only news company which lies to us. The NYT is in that category too.
In spades. All their war ‘news’ comes direct from the AFU in Kiev via the Pentagon. Their ‘reporters’ never leave their hotel in Kiev except for staged AFU presentations as in Bucha ‘war crimes’.
Chris Hedges has written about the hotel journalists, filing their reports from their cushy rooms.
And most famous on the Saigon beat, … the body-count index.
Did he leave Princeton to observe said cushy rooms, etc., before writing about it? Or did he maybe have a confidential source?
Where are those live battle front reporters, anyway? Did they run out of flak jackets and helmets for them?
The War Powers Resolution should include leaving Iraq as well as Syria. Lloyd Austin wants to keep US Troops in Iraq because he is the Donald Rumsfeld of the Democratic Party.
He’s a tool of the Intel Deep State that directs all military & foreign policy decisions.
“Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Tuesday”
Always unannounced. The “invited” are always worried about getting whacked for some reason.
Which I never understood, killing them would be as pointless as changing the mascot on the cereal box.
In other news, Netanyahu is not having a good start to his new regime.
I couldn’t possibly imagine why any Iraqi would want to harm a US government official either.
Yeah, imagine being around 10 years old in 1991 and living in Iraq. What, pray tell, would be the number one goal of that youngster today? Slit as many American throats as one possibly could? The General would have been the ultimate.
“I should underscore that US forces are ready to remain in Iraq, at the invitation of the Government of Iraq, to support the Iraqi-led fight against Daesh (ISIS),” Austin said in comments to the media while in Erbil, Iraq.
Sure, invited. And if they wanted us to leave, what might they expect? Maybe this:
“we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before, ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
That was from Trump. I’m sure Biden would do the same.
No doubt. We don’t offer anything to most of the regimes where we have military forces; we just threaten them with negative reinforcement, if they don’t obey.
Well, Austin is wrong. It is only a question of when the US troops will leave Iraq. And how. There is no South Korea or West Germany solution for permanent occupation of Iraq. That is not the nature of that place, unstable, ancient, and filled with hatreds including well-deserved hatreds of our troops.
While our troops are there, they will face danger, because they are there.
“Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani came out in favor of the continued presence…” Meet the newest Iraqi billionaire. Although, I doubt he could catch up to Zelensky. (Sarcasm alert)
“The US currently has about 2,500 troops based in Iraq to help the Iraqi government fight against ISIS. …” such writing is regurgitating U. U. government propaganda and hotel stenography.
Why?
As I have written more than twice, the so-called “troops” are Air Force, Special forces, Army, etcetera who control, monitor and permit or prevent any all air “traffic” into and out of Iraq. The monitoring includes, among other countries, Iran.
Such writing does not mention civilian private security contractors. The U. U. government does not employ mercenaries. The U. S. government has never employed “Blackwater” ( Academi ) in Iraq. Of the 9 largest private armies in the world how many are U. S. Corporate entities.
How many private armies does the U. S. government employ directly or indirectly in Iraq? How many civilian private secure contractors, no! Not!, troops does the U. S. government employ in Iraq?
Is the U. S. government in Iraq to fight ISIS or because of Israel? Does the U. S. government regularly do joint military training with Israel? For Israel to attack Iran does Israel as a practical necessity need to fly across Iraq?
Do you think …?
U. S. government propaganda and hotel stenography, indeed.
dennis hanna
Tells you all you need to know about the intentions of the yanks , after being asked to leave they are now going to stay as a occupation force .
The US are like termites,mice and cockroaches. Once there in they never leave and they resist extermination.
When is the Us going to stop intervening in places that are none of our business and spend time and resources fixing all the things neglected in America like free health care,education and decent housing as well as the roads and buildings.
Being in Iraq doesn’t weaken Russia, big Lloyd.
Likely Austin arrived with a plane full of cash to grease his way. The cash was, of course, looted from the American people.