The American withdrawal from Iraq…fact or illusion?, 31 JAN

The American withdrawal from Iraq…fact or illusion?

Samir Daoud Hanoush
In every conversation about a dialogue between Iraq and America, that dialogue provided examples of the manipulation of words and terminology in the use of deceptive rhetoric that carried ambiguous messages and fragmented concepts among the tools of war of minds and hearts.

At a time when the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced the agreement with the American side to form a committee to begin talks on the future of the American-led military coalition in Iraq to coordinate on a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of forces and end the mission of the international coalition, the statement of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin regarding the work of the working group meetings was The US-Iraqi Supreme Military Committee indicates the continuation of security and military cooperation through a sustainable bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq without indicating a withdrawal of American forces, which means the continuation of American influence in Iraq and leads to the inevitable result of postponing the withdrawal or at least calming the situation in the region until The completion of the American elections scheduled to be held in November of this year, which is a gain at a time when America is betting on it to resolve the problems of its elections or the Gaza war.

Despite the seriousness of the government of Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani in drawing a road map to regulate the relationship between the two sides and the Iraqi desire for American withdrawal, it is still a long way off and it is hard work. It is too early to reveal the next steps now, according to Fadi Al-Shammari, Al-Sudani’s political advisor, confirming, adding that the decision will not be a patchwork solution. According to his description.

The American statement indicated that “American military personnel are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government as part of the Operation Inherent Resolve mission to advise, assist and empower Iraqi security forces in their ongoing fight against ISIS.”

The model of the American statement in which he addressed public opinion considered that the beginning of the Military Committee (HMC) process reflects the development of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement, which means that the decision does not necessarily include withdrawal from Iraq, but rather leads to achieving a sustainable security relationship and paints a new picture. This relationship is the opposite of what some Iraqis who dream of the occupation forces leaving their country imagine.

The committee’s work, which will begin in the coming days to implement the commitment that the two parties signed during the Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue between the United States and Iraq (JSCD), which was held from (7-8) August 2023 in Washington, D.C., depends on three factors, namely the threat posed by ISIS. And the operational and situational requirements and capacity levels of the Iraqi security forces. Working groups of military experts will study these three factors and provide advice to the Supreme Military Committee (HMC) to ensure that ISIS cannot re-emerge .

It is known that the United States deploys approximately 2,500 military personnel in Iraq to provide advice and support to the Iraqi armed forces to prevent the return of terrorist organizations.

The Washington Post quoted Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh as denying that the Iraqi-American Supreme Military Committee talks announced by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the US Department of Defense were related to the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

Singh notes that the issue is whether Iraq is prepared to succeed in defending its own security and sovereignty and how the United States can support Iraq in doing so.

According to the newspaper, talks between Baghdad and Washington on the issue of presence were ongoing even before the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which exacerbated the tension between the American forces and the armed factions, while stressing that they are not negotiations for withdrawal.

It was noteworthy, at a time when Iraq was actively starting its dialogue on the future of the military alliance, that the American embassy in Baghdad significantly reduced its staff in conjunction with the Gaza war, which led to the suspension of the issuance of visas to ordinary citizens, as they are currently granted only to high-level government delegations, according to a diplomatic source. With US President Joe Biden intending to nominate Ambassador Tracy Ann Jacobson to the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of Iraq, instead of Ambassador Elena Romanowski.

The factor of time and procrastination is what Washington is betting on to alleviate the volume of attacks that have begun to increase on its bases in Iraq and to calm the situation, even if only temporarily, until Biden’s chances of winning a second term or leaving the White House are revealed. This is a summary of what is going on in the story of the American withdrawal.

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