DESPITE calls by the Iraqi Parliament and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq, it is lamentable that the US is coming up with snub and giving a cold shoulder response. Talking to Pentagon reporters, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper insisted his country has no plans to leave Iraq whilst President Donald Trump has also threatened to impose deep sanctions on the country if it moved to expel the US troops saying he would not withdraw entirely unless his military is compensated for the costs it incurred in Iraqi war.
Given the current situation prevailing in Iraq especially after the assassination of top Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani, the tone and tenor adopted by the US Administration is not understandable which has the potential to further stoke instability in the already volatile Middle Eastern region. The US invaded Iraq in 2003 whilst violating the UN Charter and without seeking authorization of the world body. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had also declared this war illegal as the chemical weapons on which the Bush Administration attacked the country were never found from the country. The US, therefore, is an invader and Trump’s claim of compensation is totally uncalled for and makes no sense as the Iraqi people never demanded any security from them rather they want their early eviction. It is out of their own vested interests that the US attacked Iraq and then stationed its troops there, and if it did not withdraw now, it will prove true the assertions that Washington wants to control and seize the resources of oil rich country. If the US considers itself as the true proponent of democratic values, then it should pay heed and respect to the call made by Iraqi Parliament. Then, it was also election campaign promise of Donald Trump to withdraw troops from the Middle East. Thus it is time to keep that promise and move towards de-escalating tension in the region as any other war and conflict will have disastrous consequences for peace of the whole world.
