U.S. should withdraw our troops from Syria and Iraq

[Mac-7]

US troops in Iraq and Syria aren't 'keeping the peace'

We need to let go of the conceit that without their deployments, security in those regions would collapse.

The regional reverberations of the Israel-Gaza war demonstrate why the White House should scrap, not reinforce, America’s outdated and unnecessarily provocative troop presence in Syria and Iraq.

President Joe Biden should redeploy these forces to a safer position offshore and leave it to self-interested Syrians and Iraqis to prevent ISIS from reemerging. As Biden’s own policy on Afghanistan demonstrated — and as I observed on the ground earlier this fall — withdrawing U.S. soldiers and Marines can bolster American security by turning the fight against Islamic State over to well-motivated local belligerents while freeing up U.S. personnel to serve in more vital areas.

Likewise, pivoting out of Syria and Iraq will not make Americans any less safe, but it will deny local militias, and their presumptive patrons in Iran, the chance to use unneeded outposts for leverage over our national strategy.

Since October 17, some 900 U.S. troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq have been taking fire from Iran-linked militias and, subsequently, drawing retaliatory air support, including an attack by a C-130 gunship that killed eight members of the Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq last week. The U.S. service members are the lingering footprint of Operation Inherent Resolve, which began in 2015 to defeat the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and succeeded in 2019 in eliminating the physical ISIS caliphate, thereby reducing ISIS to “a survival posture” without territory.

Rather than taking the win and packing up, the Trump and Biden administrations kept in place some troops, who have become a recurring target of opportunity for Iran and its surrogates during moments of tension. In the past five weeks, the Iran-linked militants’ rockets and one-way attack drones have injured over sixty of these Americans….

US troops in Iraq and Syria aren't 'keeping the peace'


***

In my opinion the above article is essentially correct.

Thats a tough choice

If we leave russia and iran will fill the void

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Thats a tough choice

If we leave russia and iran will fill the void

Of course you are entitled to your belief, but my OP and the linked article, and I think the logic of the actual situation, all argue that our troop presence there is now essentially counter-productive. Our few thousand isolated troops there are just human targets now, not essential to maintaining any balance of power in the region, nor do they serve to keep the Russian or Iranian influence small. Arguably, they only strengthen anti-American sentiment.

 

[Deadstick]

I agree, basically, but perhaps with a somewhat different perspective.

Almost everybody was involved in the Syrian civil war, from Wagner & the Russian military, to the Kurds, Iranians, Turks, Saudi and Gulf Oil state-financed militias, and ISIS friendly groups — some of which we supported at different times. Of course the U.S. was aiming to destroy Assad yet also sought to destroy ISIS after it seized huge areas of both countries and its genocidal character was revealed for the whole world to see.

I agree with you it was a bloody shit show in Syria and the U.S. long invasion and occupation of Iraq was too. At different stages even the Iranian-financed or led militias and the U.S. had de facto agreements not to attack each other but concentrate on defeating ISIS. Our troops and air support were probably necessary to finish off ISIS. But the Iranian-trained & financed Iraqi militia were key to stopping the ISIS march on Baghdad when the U.S.-trained army collapsed and fled.

My OP is about the more recent situation since ISIS was defeated and the Assad regime re-stabilized control over all the main cities. The Iraq situation is different, since we never tried to overthrow but rather tried to build up the present government and military there. Large popular groups in the Iraqi parliament have certainly said they want us out, but the actual government and military leaders need and want U.S. financial support, though their increased oil output recently makes them somewhat more independent at present. The Iranian influence in the country can almost certainly better be opposed without the present small U.S. military presence there.

Well i agree with much of that, but the bottom line is the US and it's allies have supported Islamist terrorists to take Assad down, some of them every bit as bad as ISIS, the Russians went in in 2015 to support the Syrian Goverment, if they had not the black flag of ISIS would be flying over Damascus, the Turks and Gulf states have a lot to answer for, mistake Russia made was not going after the terrorists after Aleppo was liberated, they allowed them to move out to the area near Turkey, they are still there carrying out terror attacks, and the Iranian general Sulimani after smashing Isis was murdered by Trump.

 

[Deadstick]

Thats a tough choice

If we leave russia and iran will fill the void

So what? they have been asked to be there.

 

[Mac-7]

So what? they have been asked to be there.

By who, terrorists?

The scum of the earth

I believe we need a presence in the region

 

[jwoodie]

In my opinion the above article is essentially correct.

Why don't you state your own opinion?

 

[TNHarley]

Bring them all home.
And while we are at it, quite funding other peoples wars.
I dont work so other countries can kill each other.

 

[ESay]

It will happen at some point in the future. The US can't be the world police and a 'nation-builder' for eternity.

About Syria and Iraq.. It seems that secular autocrats there weren't so bad alternative, after all.

 

[ESay]

Thats a tough choice

If we leave russia and iran will fill the void

Well, actually the Iraq campaign helped Iran increase its influence in Iraq.

 

[Mac-7]

Well, actually the Iraq campaign helped Iran increase its influence in Iraq.

I totally agree

 

[Ringo]

When the United States demanded that the Iraqi government find those responsible for the shelling of the American embassy, for some reason they did not like the quite plausible version about a group of mysterious ukrainian divers with a mortar.

 

[Ringo]

 

[CrusaderFrank]

US troops in Iraq and Syria aren't 'keeping the peace'

We need to let go of the conceit that without their deployments, security in those regions would collapse.

The regional reverberations of the Israel-Gaza war demonstrate why the White House should scrap, not reinforce, America’s outdated and unnecessarily provocative troop presence in Syria and Iraq.

President Joe Biden should redeploy these forces to a safer position offshore and leave it to self-interested Syrians and Iraqis to prevent ISIS from reemerging. As Biden’s own policy on Afghanistan demonstrated — and as I observed on the ground earlier this fall — withdrawing U.S. soldiers and Marines can bolster American security by turning the fight against Islamic State over to well-motivated local belligerents while freeing up U.S. personnel to serve in more vital areas.

Likewise, pivoting out of Syria and Iraq will not make Americans any less safe, but it will deny local militias, and their presumptive patrons in Iran, the chance to use unneeded outposts for leverage over our national strategy.

Since October 17, some 900 U.S. troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq have been taking fire from Iran-linked militias and, subsequently, drawing retaliatory air support, including an attack by a C-130 gunship that killed eight members of the Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq last week. The U.S. service members are the lingering footprint of Operation Inherent Resolve, which began in 2015 to defeat the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and succeeded in 2019 in eliminating the physical ISIS caliphate, thereby reducing ISIS to “a survival posture” without territory.

Rather than taking the win and packing up, the Trump and Biden administrations kept in place some troops, who have become a recurring target of opportunity for Iran and its surrogates during moments of tension. In the past five weeks, the Iran-linked militants’ rockets and one-way attack drones have injured over sixty of these Americans….

US troops in Iraq and Syria aren't 'keeping the peace'


***

In my opinion the above article is essentially correct.

Yeah let the CCP deal with it

 

[surada]

Well i agree with much of that, but the bottom line is the US and it's allies have supported Islamist terrorists to take Assad down, some of them every bit as bad as ISIS, the Russians went in in 2015 to support the Syrian Goverment, if they had not the black flag of ISIS would be flying over Damascus, the Turks and Gulf states have a lot to answer for, mistake Russia made was not going after the terrorists after Aleppo was liberated, they allowed them to move out to the area near Turkey, they are still there carrying out terror attacks, and the Iranian general Sulimani after smashing Isis was murdered by Trump.

Saudi Arabia forbid it's citizens to fight in Syria.. What Gulf States are you talking about?

 

[surada]

It's nothing to do with security, it's about control, they have been asked to leave Iraq and they have no business in Syria, they are illegal there, no one asked them in the first place, and they have been stealing oil and helping terrorists against the Syrian State.

Syrian oil peaked around 1994. They have to import oil...and what they have is garbage quality.

 

[Deadstick]

Syrian oil peaked around 1994. They have to import oil...and what they have is garbage quality.

That doesn't change the fact you are occupying part of Syria and stealing oil, and you are still in Iraq.

 

[Deadstick]

Saudi Arabia forbid it's citizens to fight in Syria.. What Gulf States are you talking about?

There were foreign Islamists in Syria some are still there among the many different head hacking madmen groups,in Allepo area they come under the so called HTS.

 

[surada]

That doesn't change the fact you are occupying part of Syria and stealing oil, and you are still in Iraq.

What are you talking about?

 

[Deadstick]

What are you talking about?

I am talking about the illegal US occupation of part of Syria where the oil is, they are stealing it, did you miss the Trump statement when he said we have taken the oil? and i am talking about the US still being in Iraq after they were told to leave.

 

[surada]

I am talking about the illegal US occupation of part of Syria where the oil is, they are stealing it, did you miss the Trump statement when he said we have taken the oil? and i am talking about the US still being in Iraq after they were told to leave.

Trump is stupid. Syrian oil peaked about 1994 and what they have is very poor quality.