Disclosure of confidential document

News: Disclosure of confidential document; The United States has no plans to leave Iraq

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported in a note that a confidential document of the agreement between the US President and the Iraqi Prime Minister was revealed, the most important result of which was the non-withdrawal and withdrawal of the Americans from Iraq.

According to Fars News Agency’s International Group, the decision to withdraw from Iraq was made after the Iraqi parliament unanimously voted to expel foreign troops from Iraq after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes and their allies in early January 2020.

Since Iraq is of great importance to the Americans, from the beginning, the United States began a hard effort to neutralize the theme of withdrawing from Iraq.

But the survival of US forces in Iraq with this ambiguous identity raises concerns for Washington, the most important of which is the security of these forces. It can only be achieved by granting freedom of movement, including the flight freedom of fighter jets and drones in Iraqi airspace. Support should impose instantly. It is what Washington sought to do, citing the need to do so in the context of providing information and air cover to Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS.

The author goes on to emphasize: “This, while important, is not enough. Because American forces also need a political cover to ensure their “legitimacy, a cover that can only be provided by the presence of a government loyal to Washington in Baghdad. Hence, behind the scenes, the United States efforts are to form a Government of Majority in which US allies and the Persian Gulf have a large and possibly larger share. And to eliminate US opposition forces, particularly al-Hashd al-Shabi and resistance groups.

Accordingly, the formation of such a government will intensify the resistance against the occupation. The efforts rate increased since the beginning of the year, even before the new government was born. It is likely to intensify if such a government is formed. If the image needed by the United States fails, the Americans will face the problem of the “legitimacy” of the presence of their forces in Iraq.

It will open the way for the resistance to them behind the border of any toleration.

A classified document obtained by al-Akhbar demonstrates Washington’s genuine intention not to withdraw from Iraq, as General Richard Bell, Deputy Commander of the International Coalition Forces in “Iraq reaffirms. It is a non-withdrawal from Iraq issue in a meeting with prominent Arab and foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Baghdad in September 2021, following the announcement by al-Kadhimi and Biden.”

Al-Akhbar further states that this document is a statement that summarizes the results of the joint US-Iraqi strategic dialogue on the withdrawal, which was drafted carefully. Accordingly, the mission of the “coalition” forces was rebuilt about a year ago. The biggest challenge facing today is how to legitimize its existence through the government in Baghdad and the constitutional institutions. The problem is that these people are not the strongest party right now.

Bill predicted; a complete US withdrawal would create catastrophic results. At the same time, he ruled out ISIL’s re-control of Iraq, as the Taliban did in Afghanistan, and opposed the dominance of allied resistance forces. With Iran, he expressed concern about what he called militancy.

According to the author, this document reveals many facts, the most important of which is that the US withdrawal from Iraq is formal and not practical. The presence of some politicians in Iraq who do not want the withdrawal of American troops is evident. They even colluded with the Americans to make the statement that proposes something against the US withdrawal. The group relied on last October’s election, which resulted in a relative victory for forces loyal to the Americans and the Gulf states.

Among the victorious political parties in Iraq, only the “Sadr faction position on US withdrawal is still unclear. Although, its leaders have already expressed satisfaction with the agreement between Iraq and the United States in this regard. Apart from the political quorum that will include the new government, there is a complete parallel political quorum against the occupation, especially when it is clear that the process of leaving Iraq is being circumvented.

“Therefore, the resistance, which had promised to target American forces if it did not retreat, did not wait any longer, and from the beginning of the new year, it began operations targeting bases that housed Americans,” the author writes. Instead, they started to target the Americans, not Iraqis, inside these bases. It is what happened in several operations. “Such as the operations that targeted the American base near Baghdad airport with five drones, the US embassy in the Green Zone, as well as the Ain al-Assad base and the Balad base.”

The attacks were accompanied by internal Iraqi security forces tension posed a challenge to assist the US forces in staying in Iraq. In recent days, operations to target the headquarters of Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi’s party and Peshmerga forces in Baghdad and Kirkuk intensified.  The assassination of al-Hashd al-Shabi and resistance forces happened too.

The sources say; the withdrawal under the 2008 agreement is unchanged, according to which the first American withdrawal took place in 2011 before their return in 2014. It includes the withdrawal of all troops currently in Iraq, including those present at Baghdad airport, and the dismantling of the two bases of Ain al-Assad in western Baghdad and Al-Harir in Erbil. However, the Pentagon statement on those talks showed that the two sides stressed the need for US forces to be safe in support of the Iraqi security forces, which opens the door to interpreting how these forces are secured, especially as Americans provide security. “They do not send their troops to other sides.”