IRAQ DRAWDOWN FREE

This drawdown occurs in the context of Prime Minister Mustafa KadhimiвЂ™s confrontation with the Tehran-backed paramilitaries of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi. Last year Trump was ridiculed for claiming that he could use Al-Asad base in western Iraq for watching what was going on in Iran. This is perfectly logical from the perspective of being able to protect a sharply reduced number of troops, but it leaves huge areas of the country where the US canвЂ™t adequately monitor activities by Daesh and Shiite militants. The US has already closed several of its principal Iraq bases during 2020, cutting its presence to a small number of concentrated locations. This is in parallel with Turkish and Russian efforts to undermine the SDF and expand their own spheres of influence. Over the past year, Iran sought to recruit locals into its own militia structures in eastern Syria, enticing fighters away from the US-backed SDF.

IRAQ DRAWDOWN FREE

This is obviously no longer the case the withdrawal gives Daesh and Iran a free hand, while leaving allies such as Kurdish SDF fighters even further exposed. TrumpвЂ™s repeated assertions that Daesh has been defeated is therefore a dangerous delusion.Дrastic cuts in US force numbers in Syria (from about 2,500 to 500 since 2018) were justified by the claim that US interests in Syria could be protected through its presence in Iraq. US President Donald TrumpвЂ™s reduction in his Iraq force size, from 5,200 to about 3,000 by November, comes at a time when Daesh has been regrouping and regaining strength it has an estimated 20,000 fighters, carries out about 60 attacks a month in Iraq alone, and has financial reserves of up to $300 million. They might believe they can continue to attack us with rockets and missiles in Iraq and we wonвЂ™t respond, and that would be a very dangerous thing for them to believe.вЂќ Although many of these attacks were low level, McKenzie warned that these militias were signaling their readiness to massively escalate operations when the time was right. McKenzie said Iranian attempts to provoke American forces were вЂњvery dangerous, because I donвЂ™t think they have an appreciation for where our red line would be.

Frank McKenzie, who in recent days warned of sharp increases in Iran-backed attacks against US bases in Iraq. Just ask the head of US Central Command, Gen. Halving the number of US troops in Iraq is a terrible idea.

Iraq drawdown