Baghdad, November 30, : As the deadline for the withdrawal US combat troops from Iraq nears, the Iraqis remain skeptical about whether or not the withdrawal will be real. According to Xinhua news agency, the US and Iraq held a strategic dialog in July.
During this dialogue, both countries agreed to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by December 31st.
Tahseen Al-Khafaji, spokesperson for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, stated that they have no military base except the Ayn Al-Asad Airbase in the western province Anbar on November 24.
Al-Khafaji stated that most of the combat forces have left Iraq and that only advisers and those in intelligence, reconnaissance and training are still there.He added that they will be leaving within 15 days.
Political experts are skeptical about the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq because they believe that it is linked to US plans and interests in the region.
Nadhum al Jubouri, an Iraqi political analyst, said to Xinhua at The Arab Forum that there would be no withdrawal of US forces in Iraq after 15 days or the end of the current calendar year.
There will be a change of name only.
Al-Jubouri stated that Iraqis are aware that US troops in Iraq will play a major part in the destabilisation and deterioration in security in Iraq.
Therefore, there is a lot of pressure on the Americans for them to withdraw from the Iraqi parliament and the government.A resolution was issued on January 5, 2020 calling for the complete withdrawal of all US forces.
Additionally, protests were held by the Iraqi people against the US presence.
Al-Jubouri stated that the Americans are trying to deceive Iraqis by claiming that their troops are part of an international coalition to fight extremist Islamic State (IS).
Sometimes, they also change the names of the missions of their remaining forces from combat training and consultation to combat to training and consulting.
“The Iraqis reject the continued presence of the US troops as some armed groups opened the door to volunteers to fight the US forces after midnight on December 31,” he said.
Sabah al-Sheikh, a political expert, told Xinhua the US’s activities on the ground as well as in the air, along with the building of the largest US embassy in Baghdad, show that they are not planning to withdraw their troops from the country.
Al-Sheikh stated that talking about the US troops staying to train Iraqi soldiers is a big lie.The training is supposed to be on new weaponry and equipment.Iraqi forces had gone through this experience before 2014.
However, when the Iraqi security force failed to stop IS militants they formed an anti-IS international alliance.
The IS militants have increased their attacks on security personnel in the last months, but they were unable to match the capabilities of the Iraqi security force that gained momentum following the 2017 defeats over the extremist group.
He stated that the IS group had lost its popular incubators in 2014 in Sunni provinces.He added that “today, the Iraqi people know that the IS organization is a project that will break down the unity of their nation and that terrorism does not have anything to do with ideologies or faiths.”
“Iraqis know that the US military presence on Iraqi soil, and its constant interference in its internal affairs has led to years-long bloody conflicts between Iraqi factions, since 2003’s US-led invasion,” he stated.
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