Did The U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq Opened The Door For The Islamic State To Walk In?

Washington Times: U.S. troop withdrawal let Islamic State enter Iraq, military leaders say

A number of former and current military leaders who were in power when all U.S. troops left Iraq are saying today that the complete exit left the door open for the Islamic State’s land grab.

The assessment comes from the Army chief of staff, a former Marine commandant, a former U.S. Central Command chief, a former defense secretary and, privately, from the officer now running the war in Iraq against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS.

The question is: Will these lessons-learned public comments sway the presidential campaign debate on what should be done to defeat the terrorist army?

The military officials say a residual American air-and-land combat force could have steeled Iraqi Security Forces and blunted the Islamic State’s invasion of northern and western Iraq last winter and spring. The U.S. could have prevented the harm done to Iraq’s command structure by Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister and helped quell bickering among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.

WNU Editor: I lost count on how many posts I put up during that time that covered the news and discussions on the pros and cons of keeping a residual U.S. military force in Iraq. Bottom line .... the U.S. and Iraqi military chiefs may have wanted to keep some forces in Iraq, but there was no political will in Washington to keep U.S. forces in Iraq .... and more importantly there was no U.S. public support for such a mission. The same can be said about Iraq .... there was no political will in Iraq nor any support in its civilian population to have the Americans remain .... they wanted the U.S. out, and the sooner the better. With hindsight .... we now know that this was a mistake .... but it is too late .... the Iraqi political class and those who voted for them screwed up the country .... and they are the ones who must now pay the cost for setting things right.

Iraq Starts Debate On Having Some US Troops Remain After The 2011 Deadline For Withdrawal

U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, right, greets Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Aug. 1, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Iraq Agrees To Start Talks On Keeping Some U.S. Forces -- Miami Herald

BAGHDAD — Under intense U.S. pressure, Iraqi leaders announced early Wednesday they had agreed to start negotiations on keeping some American soldiers in the country after the current Dec. 31 deadline for all U.S. troops to have left Iraq.

The decision was announced following more than four hours of closed-door talks led by President Jalal Talabani. Most reporters had rushed home to beat the 1 a.m. curfew still in force.

A U.S. embassy official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the Iraqi talks said that any agreement with Iraq to keep soldiers here would require immunity from criminal prosecution for all U.S. military personnel, an issue that would have to be approved by the Iraqi parliament.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. - Iraq Talks On Some US Soldiers Remaining In Iraq

Iraq signals willingness to allow some US forces to stay -- Christian Science Monitor
Iraqi leaders agree to discuss US troop stay -- Al Jazeera
Iraq’s troop decision encouraging, U.S. says -- Washington Post
Maliki can negotiate on U.S. troops -- UPI
As Iraq hedges, U.S. drawdown moving swiftly -- Stars and Stripes
The case for keeping U.S. troops in Northern Iraq -- Larry Hanauer, CNN
In Iraq, why American troops might stay -- Alice Fordham, Washington Post
Iraq: U.S. Military Withdrawal II -- Micah Zenko, Council On Foreign Relations

Getting Ready For The Withdrawal From Iraq

American soldiers met with the Iraqi police along the main highway running between Kuwait and American bases in Iraq. Max Becherer for The New York Times

U.S. Braces For Withdrawal Along Iraqi Road -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — Even as the American military winds down its eight-year war in Iraq, commanders are bracing for what they fear could be the most dangerous remaining mission: getting the last troops out safely.

The resurgent threat posed by militants was underscored Monday when rockets slammed into a military base in eastern Baghdad, killing five service members in the most deadly day for American forces here since 2009. In recent weeks, insurgent fighters have stepped up their efforts to kill American forces in what appears to be a strategy to press the United States to withdraw on schedule, undercut any resolve to leave troops in Iraq, and win a public relations victory at home by claiming credit for the American withdrawal.

Read more ....

My Comment: The situation in Iraq is still unstable .... and still very dangerous. While I do not have any confidence that Iraq will eventually solve it`s sectarian troubles (at least in my lifetime) .... I do hope that the U.S. will still proceed in withdrawing on the schedule that was agreed upon, and leave the Iraqis to sort out the future that they want without the U.S. looking over their shoulders.

10,000 U.S. Soldiers To Remain In Iraq?

BAGHDAD ARRIVAL - U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, center, and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Rock, right, welcome U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Baghdad International Airport, April 21, 2011. Mullen is visiting the Central Command area of operations. elmick is deputy commanding general for Operations, U.S. Forces Iraq, and Rock is director, Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force, U.S. Forcs Iraq. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Iraq Troop Talks Falter -- Wall Street Journal

Allies Want U.S. to Stay Past Withdrawal Date but Baghdad Fears Unrest.

WASHINGTON—Senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials have been in negotiations about keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. forces at year's end, according to officials familiar with the talks.

But the discussions face political obstacles in both countries, and have faltered in recent weeks because of Iraqi worries that a continued U.S. military presence could fuel sectarian tension and lead to protests similar to those sweeping other Arab countries, U.S. officials say.

Read more ....

More News On Some U.S. Soldiers Remaining In Iraq

Mullen Says U.S. Must Get Iraq Transition Right -- U.S. Department of Defense
US mulls 'keeping 10,000 troops in Iraq' -- AFP
Maliki rules out extension of U.S. troops' presence after 2011 -- Xinhuanet
Iraq PM tells Mullen Iraqi troops can take over -- AP
Maliki says troops ready in talks with US's Mullen -- AFP
US seeking to keep 10,000 troops in Iraq beyond 2011: Report -- DNA

My Comment: From a military standpoint, keeping 10,000 soldiers (if not more) makes sense since the security situation in Iraq is still unstable. But from a political standpoint (both from Baghdad and Washington), such an extended stay is regarded as political suicide and a recipe for even more violence.

My prediction .... U.S. soldiers will leave, but no one is going to talk about a few thousand that will stay behind to "train" the Iraqi military.

As U.S. Troops Leave, Americans Left In Iraq Are Predicting A Dangerous Environment

Perils Await Americans As Military Pulls Out Of Iraq -- Washington Times

Sadrist militants say, ‘We don’t need diplomats’.

Make no mistake, Mazin al-Nazeni hates Americans. Soldiers, diplomats, oilmen - the militant leader in Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, considers all of them to be Enemy No. 1.

But U.S. diplomats in the southern port city say they’re here to stay - even if it’s at their peril.

It’s a quandary for the Obama administration as the U.S. tries to move from invading power to normal diplomatic partner. But with the last U.S. troops obligated to be gone by year’s end, the protection of American diplomats will fall almost entirely to private contractors and Iraqi security forces.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has raised fears that diplomats in Iraq won’t be safe, and the dour pronouncements coming from Mr. al-Nazeni and others in his hard-line Sadrist movement are not encouraging.

Read more ....

My Comment: It will not only be dangerous for Americans, but almost for all other foreign nationals. Hence .... do not be surprised when you start reading more posts like this one.

Is The U.S. Military Leaving Iraq At The End Of This Year?

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates talks with soldiers during a visit to Camp Victory, Iraq, April 7, 2011. Gates took questions and held an open discussion on issues facing deployed soldiers. The soldiers are assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

Military to Iraq: Are You Really Gonna Kick Us Out? -- The Danger Room

There are fewer than nine months left in the U.S. military’s long war in Iraq. By the end of the year, the remaining 47,000 U.S. troops will finish packing up their gear and leaving. It’s safe to say their leaders are feeling a certain separation anxiety.

Most notably, Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Iraq last week and loudly warned that its fractious political leadership was running out of time to request the U.S. to stay. If that construction seems odd — and reminiscent of a jilted lover — it’s out of diplomatic necessity and bureaucratic reality. The U.S. and Iraq signed an accord in 2008 mandating a full military withdrawal. To halt that withdrawal requires a cumbersome renegotiation, and the host nation has to initiate it. Clock’s ticking.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Military Withdrawal From Iraq

Senior US military official in Iraq advocates keeping some troops longer -- Christian Science Monitor
Army Chief Dempsey Willing to Keep U.S. Troops in Iraq Past 2011 -- Bloomberg
US army may not help in future Iraq crises: official -- AFP
No region safe in Iraq, U.S. warns -- UPI
U.S. has second thoughts on Iraq -- Times Union/AP

My Comment: The prudent thing is to keep some U.S. troops in Iraq (in the desert) for an indeterminate time. But politics .... both in the U.S. and in Iraqi .... will result with most (if not all) U.S. troops out by the end of this year.

An Accelerated Withdrawal From Iraq?

From The Weekly Standard:

The pace of the U.S. military drawdown in Iraq has been accelerated by the Bush administration, according to the New York Times: "The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago." The reasons given are to help support the flagging effort in Afghanistan and improved security conditions in Iraq.

But the reality is this pace for drawing down troops was broadcast last year by General David Petraeus during his September testimony to Congress. General Petraeus even presented a slide to highlight the proposed drawdown, which has always been based on security conditions.

Read more ....

My Comment: With hindsight .... General Petraeus clearly knows what he is talking about. His benchmarks and goals have all been reached. I hope that over time he can still maintain his batting average up there when it comes to the next battle ..... Afghanistan.