REVEALING A DEEP DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN BAGHDAD AND WASHINGTON OVER THE AMERICAN PRESENCE IN IRAQ – URGENT
The past weeks have witnessed a long series of attacks on positions occupied by American soldiers in Iraq. Iraqi factions also targeted the American embassy building in Baghdad, and fired missiles towards the Americans in Syria
It was noteworthy that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made repeated contacts with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, and visited Baghdad once, and US statements always indicated the need to protect American soldiers and diplomats, and considered this the responsibility of the Iraqi government “because it is the host government”.
Serious Disagreement
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the Sudanese at least once, and the Pentagon statement at the time repeated what the State Department had said, including thanking the Sudanese government because it considered the attacks a “terrorist act .”
However, upon verifying the content of the communications between the American ministers and the Prime Minister of Iraq, it became clear, according to Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath sources, that there is a deep disagreement between the two parties .
Sources in Washington confirmed to Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath that the Iraqi government’s words denouncing the attacks were limited to the headquarters of the American embassy, and did not include attacks on American soldiers. Ministers Blinken and Austin expressed in their communications their commitment to the Iraqi commitment and condemnation of the attacks on American soldiers .
There are not many details about the outcome of the claim, but it seems that it has not reached a conclusion .
” The American raid is an assault “
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani expressed his categorical rejection of the American raid in response to the attacks launched by the Iraqi factions, and in his conversations with American officials, he considered that the United States had “blatantly” violated Iraqi sovereignty when the American forces took the initiative and bombed the positions of one of the Iraqi factions and killed a number of members, hours after an attack on American soldiers .
(These are Iranian militia targeting US soldiers in order to force the GOP to force the withdrawal of American soldiers. Iran does not like the US presence and what will happen AGAIN once they are gone, if they pull out. Remember 2004 and ISIS? )
The Americans repeated during their contacts that this was the right of reply, and they insisted on doing the same in the future .
Sources for “Al-Arabiya” and “Al-Hadath” said that this dispute prompted the two parties to begin seriously discussing a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraqi territory .
Disagreements Accumulate
These sources did not confirm that Iraq was the one who initiated the request, but it is clear that talk of the Americans’ withdrawal occurred more than once .
Previous information stated that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken indicated in talks with the Iraqi Prime Minister that repeating the attacks would mean the withdrawal of the Americans and the rest of the coalition forces from Iraq because the matter is unacceptable, and this time it appears that the Iraqis were the ones who raised the issue of withdrawal due to the US raid on the site. The Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades on November 21 .
The impasse begins with the fact that the Iraqi government considers it difficult to oppose attacks on American forces. Many Iraqis view the American forces as “occupying” forces and cannot be defended, just as they are obligated to protect American diplomats on the territory of the host country .
They are no longer consultants
The Iraqis also consider that after the bombing, the presence of American forces in Iraq is no longer advisory and auxiliary, as was agreed upon with the Joe Biden administration at the end of 2021, and the new mission for the Americans began in the year 2022 .
The Americans consider Iraq to be a strategic interest for them and do not want to withdraw from it. This was confirmed by US government spokesmen two weeks ago when they were asked about the situation in Iraq .
The Americans also say that their mission in Iraq is still necessary to confront ISIS and ensure that the terrorist organization does not return to any previous activity, and they do not disclose that their presence in Iraq helps them achieve other goals, such as balancing the rising Iranian influence on Iraqi territory .
Exit by mutual consent
The Iraqis, for their part, at least the Prime Minister’s government did not want the Americans to leave, and now they do not want a chaotic exit or in a turbulent atmosphere.
When the American forces left at the end of 2011, the Iraqi government was keen for things to appear to be in agreement between the two parties, and the two parties showed clear concern for some details such as the handover and delivery programs .
One of the oddities of the relations between the two countries is that Joe Biden, the current President of the United States, visited Iraq at the time and was the US Vice President at the time, and Lloyd Austin was the commander of the US forces in Iraq when they lowered the flag and left, and he is now the US Secretary of Defense .
The Iraqis assert that they do not want to replace the American presence with any other presence or influence, alluding to the Iranian military and political presence, but the current government will find it necessary to balance the various Iraqi movements. So far, there is no opposition to the American exit, but the Kurdistan Regional Government and some Iraqi Sunni movements may find The Americans’ departure created a vacuum that they had not hoped for, while other movements, such as the Sadrist movement and the Iraqi factions loyal to Iran, called for the departure of American forces and considered them “occupation forces.”
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