kayhan.ir

News ID: 3842
Publish Date : 15 August 2014 - 20:04

Iraq Escalation a Done Deal

By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer The United States has reportedly set its sights on the Anbar Province in Iraq, site of some of the bloodiest U.S. battles during the previous occupation.
Anbar Governor Ahmed Khalaf al-Dulaimi has confirmed meetings with U.S. military officials, and secured not only airstrikes against ISIL holdings in the province, but a military presence on the ground.
Anbar is the site of the city of Haditha, where in 2005 U.S. Marines carried out the notorious Haditha Massacre, where they killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children, in response to an IED explosion that killed a solider near the city. This clearly suggests U.S. troops will not be welcomed in the new invasion.
The Pentagon has yet to confirm the details of the plan, but Governor Dulaimi’s comments suggest it is already a done deal, and will begin with airstrikes before expanding to a ground war.
America would be entering this senseless war utterly divided though. Washington is not even agreed on who the enemies are. Some U.S. diplomats argue that Syrian President Assad is not the real enemy. ISIL is, and they should consider a ceasefire between the Free Syrian Army and President Assad.
They also argue that the crisis calls for the United States to accept the nuclear deal with Iran that was on the table in July and work with Tehran against ISIL.
Other arguments are against a new American war. Those against the war argue that America cannot win such a war without the ground troops Obama pledged never to send, and the American people do not want sent. They say, instead, Washington should step back and place responsibility on the Iraqi politicians and regional players with greater ability to solve the crisis.
Into the argument, air power may keep ISIL from overrunning Irbil and Baghdad, but carrier-based airstrikes cannot conquer the vast territory the terrorists have occupied in Iraq. Nor can it defeat them in Syria. The Pentagon is still calling it a "humanitarian mission” even if they are talking up the expansion of the air war as they look around for more "human suffering” excuses.
As things stand, in Iraq, Washington opposes the terrorist groups and Sunni rebellion led by ISIL; in Syria, Washington is backing ISIL and other terrorist groups. So when Obama announces that he is sending marines and special forces to Iraq, the translation is that America is arming and advising both sides of the same war: That America is providing lethal support against its own troops, effectively fighting itself.
Consequently, in a war with two fronts, America’s embrace of Iraq escalation risks putting the U.S. on a slippery slope into perpetual war and sets a dangerous precedent for lethal operations that other Western countries say they are also willing to adopt.