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    MoA: U.S. Announces Retreat From Iraq (And Syria)? 📂 Archived Message

    Posted by Tomski on July 15, 2021, 4:57 pm

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/07/us-announces-retreat-from-iraq-and-syria.html#comments

    I did not expect this. Great - if true:

    Nafiseh Kohnavard @nafisehkBBC - 13:57 UTC · Jul 15, 2021 Breaking

    White house coordinator for MidEast, Brett McGurk has informed Iraqi officials that US troops will withdraw from Iraq.

    “step by step”, sources tell me. “First combat troops will leave and then others” he has told his Iraqi hosts
    ...
    “Withdrawal from Iraq will not be like what happened in Afghanistan and it will be step by step. The schedule for this will be agreed during Iraqi PM’s trip to Washington” official sources told me
    ...
    And here is the statement from PM office that “mechanism for combat troops withdrawal” has been briefly mentioned in

    link

    The link is to a tweet of the Iraqi Prime Minister account which says (in Arabic) of the McGurk - al-Kadhimi meeting:

    During the meeting, they discussed coordination and joint cooperation in various fields, and preparations for holding the next round of strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States of America, as well as the mechanisms for the withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq and the transition to a new phase of strategic cooperation.

    My thoughts on this:

    The pressure the resistance has put onto the occupation force has achieved the desired result.
    No time frame is given but I expect weeks rather than months for the retreat to take place as the pressure will otherwise increase.

    Leaving Iraq likely also means leaving Syria as supplies and support to the U.S. occupied Syrian north-east and to the al-Tanf base at the border triangle of Syria, Iraq and Jordan runs through Iraq.

    The Kurds in north-east Syria must immediately start talks with Russia and the Syrian government. They will have to give up their autonomy or they will be eaten alive by Turkey. Expect them to (again) make the wrong decision. That means that the Syrian government, with Russian support, will have to use force against them. So be it.

    The U.S. occupation has denied the Syrian government access to two of its greatest resources, oil and grain. Syria will be much better off after regaining these.

    Expect a huge attempt by the usual hawks and the media to change the decision.

    The U.S. has dragged its feet over the renewal of the nuclear deal with Iran. Removing the troops from Iraq and Syria moves them out of the target area in the case of an eventual war on Iran.
    While there are now first denials from some anonymous 'officials' I do believe that the decision has been made.

    It is only rational. A further occupation of Iraq and Syria makes absolutely no sense.

    Posted by b on July 15, 2021 at 15:54 UTC

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