Pompeo asks Baghdad to deploy soldiers 70km inside Syria
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, when he called Iraqi PM Adil Abdul -Mahdi to inform him of Washington’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria, asked him to deploy Iraqi soldiers 70km inside NE Syria to fill the gap. Iraq has already deployed additional forces to its border with Syria against infiltration (as DEBKAfile first reported on Dec. 22). Pompeo said the US would provide air cover. Iraq was also granted a 90-day extension on a waiver from sanctions that was granted Iraq for importing Iranian gas.
SMART MOVE! YEAH THE IRAQIS ARE GOING TO BETRAY THEIR IRANIAN MASTERS AND BLOCKADE THE BORDER FOR MR LOYALTY, DONNIE TRUMP.
Actually the situation in Iraq is very complicated. While Iran was used to being in control, all of a sudden Shia in Basra area (where Iran had the most solid rule) are revolting against their Iranian masters. I’m sure the Sunni tribes in Anbar hate Iran and resent Iran taking over after the U.S. toppled them. While they were fighting the U.S. before, now they are allied with the U.S. against Iran. In short, its very complicated in Iraq. Reminds me of Lebanon in the 80’s, where Christians, Druze, Sunni, Shia were in constant ally/enemy flip-flopping, with Syria and Israel adding strong external force. It eneded badly with Hizballa basically taking over. In Iraq its still the U.S. and Iran as the external forces, and many Shia and Sunni factions, plus the Kurds, in a very unstable struggle.
Even Sadr sees Iran as a problem. Trump could completely shut down support for Iraq save the Kurds in the North. He I suspect private contractors will fill some gaps in Syria, but the English and French have special forces operating. There are special forces associated with recon, drones, extractions, special targets etc. Iran is in a weak position and their presence in Syria will serve as a magnet for attacks. Its going to be a testing ground for a new generation of weapons.
@Analyst …. can you elaborate more on this? go abit into details?
Asking an Iran puppet to put troops inside Syria ? Now who was the genius who thought it ” Was it the WH idiot ?
If Trump is an idiot, what does that make you?
That’s a catastrophe for the Word that a chief of a super power be an idiot , you know .
Trump is a president that is frightened by russian power so he gets any pretext to flee from syria abandoning his allies.
Pompeo speech now not worth a sub.
All american official speech is now dead loss .
incoherent comrade. Trump is busy countering Putin’s new toys. Trump was the one that got the Kurds out of the gate killing ISIS. After abandoning Iraq, Progressives have some nerve crying about 2000 soldiers. Flee Russian might? hahahaha Actually, Russia is suing Musk. There carrier dry dock tumbled into the sea. They’re searching for their lost nuclear engine missile in the Bering Sea.
#JewNews. The Iraqi defense ministry rejected media reports claiming that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has asked Baghdad to station the country’s forces in Syria after withdrawal of the American military men.
“The prime minister spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the US withdrawal on Saturday. Abdul-Mahdi said his government did not receive a US request to deploy inside Syria, but he said the possibility was ‘circulating’.” (timesofisrael) — The possibility was “circulating” !! Not a “request”, evidently…
A Iran Irak war, this time 16 years, is a great solution.
I fail to see how Trump’s new policy of war-at-arms-length by his proxies (the Kurds, Al Nusra, Syrian Democratic Alliance etc) is going to stabilise Syria while he is encouraging more cooks to enter the kitchen cooking the broth inside Syria. What deal has he made with Turkey? For Turkey to take NW Syria as long as Turkey does not touch the Kurds? This same Turkey made huge profits by exporting Jihadis to Syria for ISIS and received ISIS-controlled oil and exported it from Turkey. Where is the lolly from Trump? It would have to be a massively lucrative deal for Turkey to lay off the Kurds. Likewise what is the advantage for Iraq to invade Syria up to 70 km? Any deals tempting Iraq to stop the co-operation with Iran and tempting the Turks to lay off the Kurds will have to be huge, massive and costly. With the US $21 trilllion in debt, and a possible recession on the way, when this house of cards falls the results won’t be pretty. What’s really in this pullback for the US, anyway, except for bringing back 2 000 soliders and replacing them with costly merceneraries?