Keeping US forces in Iraq & Syria could lead to 'catastrophic' losses

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The American Conservative
25 Nov 2023 22:06
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The American Conservative publishes a report about the dangers of keeping US forces in Syria and Iraq, stressing that "policy paralysis and lack of political courage" could cause a catastrophic loss of American lives and start a regional war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, attends a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Thursday, June 8, 2023 (AP)

The American Conservative published a report by Greg Carlstrom entitled Our National Disgrace in Iraq and Syria, in which it said that US forces were risking their lives "needlessly" due to "policy paralysis and lack of political courage."

The magazine reported that when Carlstrom, an economist, interviewed an American diplomat last year, he asked him about the Biden administration’s policy in Syria, and in response, the official "shrugged and laughed."

Carlstrom then underscored that "One group certainly not laughing about President Biden’s Syria policy (or lack thereof) is the over 70 US troops injured" after attacks started raining in on US bases in Syria and Iraq", especially since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

The magazine indicated that these forces are in Iraq and Syria, according to Carlstrom, as part of a "self-defeating combat operation," which remained on the low vis-a-vis the US people adding that maintaining US forces there "without a clear military mission" would "not make America safer."

Rather, the report highlighted that the presence of US occupation forces in Syria and Iraq "risks a catastrophic loss of American life that could escalate into a major war."

Moreover, it was noted that the fact that a number of US policymakers insisted on "sustaining" these existing policies was "is a national disgrace."

The publication stressed that "Policy inertia and political cowardice have condemned American service members in Iraq and Syria" saying the forced served "as soft targets for those looking to punish the US."

In short, Carlstorm stated that "withdrawal is the only path forward that prioritizes both American lives and interests."

US bases, forces in Middle East targeted 73 times since October 17

Recent attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria have pushed the number of operations against US military assets in the Middle East to 73 since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, an unnamed US official told CNN.

An attack on Thursday morning saw Resistance factions launch suicide drones at US targets located in the Ain al-Assad and Erbil airbases in Iraq. A barrage of rockets also targeted the US occupation base in al-Omar oil field, which preceded an attack on the US occupation's Green Village base in Syria.

CNN said these attacks mark at least 73 operations against US forces in the region from a period ranging from October 17 to November 24.

In support of the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza, Resistance factions in Iraq and Syria have launched a series of continuous attacks on US military assets in said countries and in occupied Palestine.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq made it clear that the US unconditional support for the Israeli occupation has made it a legitimate target of the Resistance.