Signs that American Troops Will Remain in Iraq

Do we suppose that the American ground, sea and air troops came to liberate Iraq and to help the Iraqi people, or was it an invasion? The troops remain despite an agreement to withdraw and end the mission. I — and millions with me — say they are here to stay, and to stay indefinitely, either under the guise of helping the Iraqi people or the government, or protecting Iraq. The important thing is that they are staying.

They planned to enter Iraq half a century ago, and with their dream now realized, why would they withdraw within a decade? The largest American embassy in the world is located in Baghdad, as well as a large diplomatic center for the region and an administration center for an army of diplomats and intelligence officers. There are army camps in every part of the country, and they brought in thousands of military vehicles, aircraft and light and heavy weaponry, in addition to about a quarter of a million visible troops with God knows how many incognito ones.

They came in tanks with Iraqi politicians on top, yet now they are enemies of one another. Those men with connections to Iraq left the good life they had abroad to pursue their own interests and make money. They left their shorts, belts and trousers at the border and dressed in dishdashas and jilbabs, put on turbans and grew beards and placed prayer beads in their hands. Some of them turned into Sheikhs or Sayyids, and bestowed upon themselves titles similar to those of the Iraqi religious authorities, whilst others changed their foreign names.

As for the remaining members of the old regime, who were the main pillars of its survival in various departments, state institutions and universities, they, like comrades and members of the Nazi party who also changed their names and titles, counterfeited thousands of university degrees, receiving the honor of a doctorate with distinction all within just one week. They have continued to ride along with the new regime, and it’s all thanks to the remaining American troops and the on-going farce in Iraq, plunging it into a spiral of internal and external conflict. There is also continuing corruption, bribery and the theft of billions of the people’s money, leaving the poor people hungry and downtrodden.

The recent escalating trend of explosions and assassinations, the selection of prominent and nationalistic figures or those who carry political and social weight and the perpetual comedy of Malki’s government with him remaining president, minister of defense and minister of the interior and national security are all evidence that the government is unable to manage the country without American troops. Despite them seemingly withdrawing from the cities, the way has been paved for these troops to be requested to stay on.

Furthermore, the failure to implement articles of the constitution, especially in devising suitable solutions for disputed territories, as well as the tense conditions in Khanaqin, Kufri, Kirkuk, Mosul, Sinjar, Makhmur and other areas added to the rationale for these troops remaining.

The lack of consensus among various ethnic groups and sects, the emergence of sectarian strife, interference of neighboring states from all sides in the government’s affairs, and the direction of the political parties and movements also prepared the way for these troops to remain, as did the continuing bombardment of the Kurdistan border regions by Iranian and Turkish troops.

Therefore anyone who says that U.S. troops will withdraw is mistaken. How could they withdraw from this paradise, and with the coffers of the Iraqi state at their disposal? During the first term of the new government, around $18 billion disappeared, and the theft of billions more rolled on.

Even after the dictator was executed in Iraq, there remain dozens of Sadaamites inside the dictatorship. Likewise, after Uday and Qusay, the two sons of the dictator were both killed, Iraq now has dozens of politicians’ sons roaming around the country doing as they please, playing with Iraq’s money at home and abroad with more cruelty and corruption than either of the two.

They have destroyed Iraq and forced out the country’s best men and youths, and the rest were assassinated or detained on false claims. They forced the people to remain in poverty even though they live above oil wells. They forced them to accept the retired Nazi comrade with his new title as a Sheikh and a gentleman, and placed upon his head the crown of authority. They forced the people to elect them at times as ministers, or members of the Council of Representatives, or members of Sahwa (the revival), or to select them as terrorists and killers and leaders of the armed militias.

God help you people of Iraq from these comic theatrics and painful scenarios, you who have borne wars and tragedies since the Iraqi state was established.