Just a Thought: They have not wanted Peace at all; they have wanted to be spared war — as though the absence of war was the same as peace. – Dorothy Thompson
Some American troops are being asked to remain in Iraqi cities after a June 30, 2009, deadline. This deadline was put in place on December 4, 2008, by the new U.S. Iraq security agreement. Now, less than two weeks later the rules are changing.
Iraq is playing political games in their country and the loopholes in the withdrawal timeline could be exploited by Iraqi politicians seeking to undermine Prime Minister al-Maliki ahead of the referendum, where Iraqi voters are to approve or deny the deal.
A number of Sunni and Shiite politicians, as well as the powerful Shiite clergy had accepted the deal after assurances from Al-Maliki that the timeline for the
U.S. departure was firm. They want us out of their country as soon as possible.
Alternatively, Al-Maliki’s own spokesman suggests that the Iraqi government may ask some U.S. troops to remain behind as trainers after the December 31, 2011, deadline for the withdrawal of all American troops. al-Maliki dismissed these suggestions.
General Ramond Odierno, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, believes that troops who serve in training and mentoring teams would not be included in the mandate to pull combat troops from the cities. He said the training and mentoring teams would stay at urban security stations to support Iraqi soldiers and police.
After six (6) years of war, Al-Maliki insisted that the security agreement include specific dates for a U.S. withdrawal, winning those concessions from the Bush administration which had steadfastly refused for years to accept a timetable for an end to the unpopular war. Were the loopholes in the security agreement created by Bush and his administration to allow for the U.S. presence to remain indefinitely in Iraq?
Consequently, chief government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters in Washington that some U.S. troops might be needed to continue training Iraq’s security forces well past the 2011 deadline contained in the security pact stating “We do understand that the Iraqi military is not going to be built out in the three years. We do need many more years. It might be 10 years.” Within their own government, agreement has not been truly established as to how long American’s will be needed there.
Al-Dabbagh suggests that Iraq could negotiate a supplemental agreement providing for U.S. trainers to stay on after 2011, if the Baghdad government believed they were needed.
Meanwhile, a suicide bomber killed at least 55 people and wounded 120 others in a restaurant in Northern Iraq. The pact already made U.S. troops more vulnerable by taking away the troops power to conduct military operations without the approval of the Iraqi government. It is now requesting that some stay in the cities, with no real authority or power.
My question is, if Iraq wants to take power away from U.S. troops, why do we need to be over there in the first place to babysit them. If they feel so strongly that they can handle their own business – then let them do that. Ten years is a long, long time. Although Prime Minister al-Maliki dismissed this suggestion of a ten year timeline, he is showing that U.S. troops still need to be around for training purposes, after six years of being over there.
Teach me, train me, hold my hand, but have no power, in my land, is basically where
U.S. troops are with this new security pact. The violence is still happening, the danger is still there, the real threat to American troops still exists and yet, we have agreed to continue to show our support of this country and have our troops live by their rules. I just don’t get it.
The Right Path Taken: One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. – Martin L. King
Wisdom Understood: True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. – Martin L. King
And that’s the way I see it!!!
