WHY US TROOPS REMAIN IN IRAQ 20 YEARS AFTER 'SHOCK AND AWE'

[rangerrebew]

WHY US TROOPS REMAIN IN IRAQ 20 YEARS AFTER 'SHOCK AND AWE'
March 15, 2023Associated Press
 

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq — in blinding explosions of shock and awe — American forces remain in the country in what has become a small but consistent presence to ensure an ongoing relationship with a key military and diplomatic partner in the Middle East.

The roughly 2,500 U.S. troops are scattered around the country, largely in military installations in Baghdad and in the north. And while it is a far cry from the more than 170,000 U.S. forces in Iraq at the peak of the war in 2007, U.S. officials say the limited — but continued — troop level is critical as a show of commitment to the region and a hedge against Iranian influence and weapons trafficking.

A look at America's evolving role in Iraq:


Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 24, 2020. Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, in blinding explosions of shock and awe, American forces remain in the country in what has become a small but consistent presence to ensure an ongoing relationship with a key military and diplomatic partner in the Middle East. AP photo, File.

How Did it Start?
The U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003 in what it called a massive “shock and awe” bombing campaign that lit up the skies, laid waste to large sections of the country and paved the way for American ground troops to converge on Baghdad. The invasion was based on what turned out to be faulty claims that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons never materialized.

https://coffeeordie.com/us-troops-iraq-20-years/

[sneakypete]

Other than a few Embassy personell,I honestly had no idea we had any troops there.

Are these troops supposed to be combat troops,or a few observers?

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Other than a few Embassy personell,I honestly had no idea we had any troops there.

Are these troops supposed to be combat troops,or a few observers?

Article refers to them as "noncombatants, and I imagine that's true for the vast majority.  But I also suspect that some number of them are Spec Ops.  Not necessarily for Iran itself, but for forward deployment if they are needed elsewhere in the region - Syria in particular.

[sneakypete]

Article refers to them as "noncombatants, and I imagine that's true for the vast majority. But I also suspect that some number of them are Spec Ops.  Not necessarily for Iran itself, but for forward deployment if they are needed elsewhere in the region - Syria in particular.

@Maj. Bill Martin

That is NOT a statement I would argue against,but it is a vast exaggeration to imply,as that article seems to be trying to do,that a "Vast number of American Troops are still conducing combat operations in Iraq",when it would be far more accurate to state "There are still a few Special Operations troops operating in Iraq that are there to locate and deal with the Radical leaders who are still there."

[Timber Rattler]

Article refers to them as "noncombatants, and I imagine that's true for the vast majority.  But I also suspect that some number of them are Spec Ops.  Not necessarily for Iran itself, but for forward deployment if they are needed elsewhere in the region - Syria in particular.

There are about 2,500 U.S. troops currently in Iraq and 900 more in Syria.  The official mission is to keep ISIS under control and support the "Free Syrian Army" against Assad.  But the real reasons are to control the upper Euphrates Valley and the northern Syria oil fields, keep the Russians and Iranians out, and the Turks and Kurds separated.  It's very much gang war, with the U.S. Army acting as the biggest and baddest gang in town.

You never see any of this mentioned in the American media, so you have to rely on the Middle Eastern outlets to keep track of what's going on there:

Pentagon chief, on surprise trip, says US troops to stay in Iraq

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/7/pentagon-chief-surprise-trip-says-us-troops-stay-iraq

[sneakypete]

There are about 2,500 U.S. troops currently in Iraq and 900 more in Syria.  The official mission is to keep ISIS under control and support the "Free Syrian Army" against Assad.  But the real reasons are to control the upper Euphrates Valley and the northern Syria oil fields, keep the Russians and Iranians out, and the Turks and Kurds separated.  It's very much gang war, with the U.S. Army acting as the biggest and baddest gang in town.

You never see any of this mentioned in the American media, so you have to rely on the Middle Eastern outlets to keep track of what's going on there:

Pentagon chief, on surprise trip, says US troops to stay in Iraq

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/7/pentagon-chief-surprise-trip-says-us-troops-stay-iraq

@Timber Rattler

Thanks for the additional info.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

@Maj. Bill Martin

That is NOT a statement I would argue against,but it is a vast exaggeration to imply,as that article seems to be trying to do,that a "Vast number of American Troops are still conducing combat operations in Iraq",when it would be far more accurate to state "There are still a few Special Operations troops operating in Iraq that are there to locate and deal with the Radical leaders who are still there."

Totally agree.  Classic hyping of a story.

[Timber Rattler]

@Timber Rattler

Thanks for the additional info.