Update (1545ET): The US State Department has expressed its “disappointment” at the Iraqi parliament’s vote to expel US forces. However, as Axios’ Jonathan Swan notes in a tweet, that he just spoke with a senior Iraqi government official, who explained that people should be very cautious about drawing certain conclusions from Iraq’s parliamentary vote to expel the U.S.
This is a far from certain outcome. It’s a resolution & the PM who must sign it has already resigned.
“This is a temporary victory for the parties which are pro-Iranian,” the senior Iraqi govt official told me.
“But it’s also a clear message from the Sunnis and from the Kurds [who didn’t vote] and from some Iraqi Shia for the Americans to tell them we want you to stay in Iraq.”
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If President Trump wanted to reduce America’s troop presence in the Middle East, he may have just got his wish, albeit not at his orders.
During an emergency parliamentary session this morning, the Iraqi government just voted to have foreign troops removed from the country.
Interim Iraqi prime minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, stressed during the session, that while the US government notified the Iraqi military of the planned strike on Soleimani, his government denied Washington permission to continue with the operation.
As RT reports, Mahdi said after the incident that it was clear it was in the interest of both the US and Iraq to end the presence of foreign forces on Iraqi soil.
“Despite the internal and external difficulties that we might face, it remains best for Iraq on principle and practically.”
Still there are plenty more US bases around…
Meanwhile, as the Iraqi government voted, the Iranian parliament took to the Parliament podium to chant “death to America.”
After a speech by parliamentary Speaker Ali Larjani, who exclaimed “Mr. Trump, this is the voice of the Iranian nation,” MPs surged united to the podium…
طنین شعار #مرگ_بر_امریکا در صحن مجلس شورای اسلامی در محکومیت اقدام تروریستی امریکا و شهادت سردار سپهبد حاج #قاسم_سلیمانی/ صبح امروز pic.twitter.com/mg10iQACcK
— خبرگزاری صداوسیما (@iribnewsFa) January 5, 2020
The Iranian MPs echoed a popular sentiment heard on the streets as 1000s mourned the death of Qasem Soleimani.
طنین شعار #مرگ_بر_امریکا در صحن مجلس شورای اسلامی در محکومیت اقدام تروریستی امریکا و شهادت سردار سپهبد حاج
Wow…. I can’t believe he said that.
But regardless of what he said, I guess we all know that the killing of the general was provocation of WW3, and this expulsion of our troops is a predictable response.
And you should also guess that it’s happening now because all the smoke and mirrors at their disposal cannot restore the illusion of our “economy”, which is a sham that’s rapidly falling apart.
Does anyone else find this headline absurd? I mean, Iraq is occupied, by us, for Iz. These troops will only be removed because of some larger purpose that that removal might serve in their bigger agenda.
And I read elsewhere that Iraq will ask the (drumroll) U.N. to help with this removal. The U.N., the very institution that serves that bigger agenda. Extreme wealth for the few; communism for the rest of us.
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“These troops will only be removed because of some larger purpose that that removal might serve in their bigger agenda.”
I’m thinking “moved”.
Yeah, that works better. Thanks, Misty.
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