Posted on 11/03/2013 1:18:40 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Are things so bad in Iraq that the government in Baghdad would like U.S. troops to return?
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appealed to President Obama for the U.S. military’s assistance on Friday, after his country suffered its most violent month in over five years.
Just under 1,000 people — overwhelmingly civilians — were killed in sectarian violence across Iraq in the last 31 days, making October the deadliest month since the height of the Iraq War in April 2008. The majority died via that hallmark of the Iraqi insurgency, the car bomb.
It’s the high-water mark for a rising tide of bloodshed since the complete withdrawal of American troops in December 2011. This year has proven particularly vicious, with the United Nations estimating well over 7,000 Iraqis killed in violent attacks since the start of 2013.
That number was undoubtedly on both Obama and Maliki’s minds as they met at the White House. Maliki had refused the president’s half-hearted attempt to renew American troop authorizations in 2011, but on Friday the prime minister begged Obama to send Apache attack helicopters and other military assets before his country descends back into civil war.
“We have a request — I won’t say a right — it’s a request,” Maliki said Thursday in a speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington. “Its not only about Iraq, but it’s about all the countries in the world that are suffering from terrorism.”
In a statement Friday evening, President Obama pushed Maliki for a more “inclusive” democracy and urged him to hold elections next year. He made no mention of providing military assistance.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said he did not “anticipate troops on the ground.”
A joint statement put out by the two countries after the meeting said that “both sides emphasized – on an urgent basis – the need for additional equipment for Iraqi forces.” Iraq also asked to buy more U.S. arms while confirming “its commitment to ensure strict compliance with U.S. laws and regulations on the use of such equipment.”
The deal will be a tough sell in Congress.
The signers of the Senate letter had asked Obama to take a tougher stance against Maliki, who they accuse of being in cahoots with Iran and of pursuing a "sectarian and authoritarian agenda." The statements from the White House after the meeting did not address their allegations that Maliki is allowing Iran to fly weapons to Assad through Iraqi airspace and that he had a hand in attacks that killed several dozen members of an Iranian dissident group living in Iraqi camps.
"Maliki's mismanagement of Iraqi politics is contributing to the recent surge of violence," the senators wrote. “We must see more evidence from Prime Minister Maliki that the U.S. security assistance and arms sales are part of a comprehensive Iraqi strategy that addresses the political sources of the current violence and seeks to bring lasting peace to the country.”
Maliki should have signed the status of forces agreement , welcomed Blackwater , and stopped being such a Iran bootlicker , long ago
Sorry, folks, but the United States will no longer send our kids to fight YOUR religious, sectarian, tribal and other internal wars. Sort things out for yourselves.
Notice to All Citizens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyEtw8lBtI
Doesn’t 0bama have a Red Line on this?
I think this war started to go sour even before Bush left office. The Surge got things under control, but there still was no longer any real point to it.
We fought the war in order to put Muzzies back in power and give Iraq’s oil to the Chinese and the French?
Billions of dollars and thousands of lives lost. There was a point to it in the beginning, but I’m afraid it got lost sight of, or maybe dragged into the mud by the Democrats and the peacenik opposition, with whom Bush constantly compromised and apologized.
They should ALL die except for the few Christians left alive among them.
Muzzies and Blacks are alike.
They both are disproportionately violent, hate the Infidel/Whitey McCracker-Honkey, but complain when there aren’t enough of them around to keep the violence in check.
Even worse..
Here come the “peace forces”....How about the drones,Obummer?
Now that you screwed this up after we had victory you couldn’t negotiate bases and get the oil.What ajerk! and we would have not had Iraq go running to Iran.
we won the war and lost the peace.I blame Obummer totally for this!
Bush ignored several truths about that part of the world. On purpose and to his and our detriment.
You cannot have democracy and islam in a country when islam is equal or stronger than democracy.
You can’t ever fight with one arm behind your back.
When you gain the momentum you can’t stop and expect what you’ve gained, you’ll just keep from now on.
Not really. Iraq didn't want us stay there anyway.
Not really. Iraq didn't want us stay there anyway.
Not only that...
These ingrates made sure that those countries who did not assist us during the invasion had oil contracts signed except for US. Effing’ bastards. So many of our boys spilled their blood so these pukes could live a free life and they F it up.
Very good idea, let Academi (previously known as Xe Services LLC, Blackwater Worldwide and Blackwater USA) work with them. I don’t care to hear lib’s drone on and on about Bush’s failed policies because of blood for oil and zero had to come in for the humanitarian rescue.
Can you site an apology? I don’t recall Bush apologizing. I do think we should have left them to kill each other instead of letting our best die for worthless muslems that were not willing to fight for their own freedom.
With all the equipment/money we left behind they can’t even defend themselves what a joke. If we send anyone in it has to be on our terms we take over all Oil production and distribution. Then have Maliki tell the head of Iran to FO or will sig Bibi on them.
Raze all the mosques and imprison the imams first.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is NOT the terrorist PKK Marxists that's been at war (often with Syrian help BTW) against Turkey since the 1980s.
Turkey's close ties to the KRG has alarmed Baghdad.
Turkey's economic relations with the KRG is upsetting Baghdad -- and no doubt Iran; according to the linked article (below) Iran is encouraging the PKK terrorists to keep up their war against Turkey. Turkey has every reason to keep the peace. Even more than we do?
"The Syria crisis, however, has created a rift between Turkey and . . . energy suppliers [Russia and Iran], leaving the Turkish economy vulnerable to regional dynamics and price shocks. To fuel its growing economy and reduce its account deficit driven by high prices of oil and gas, Turkey has been scrambling to find alternative energy resources.
"To that end, the Turkish government has quietly been building up its energy presence in the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) oil and gas industry. On March 25, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani negotiated a framework deal that included Turkish stakes in exploration blocks and terms for the direct pipeline export of oil and gas from the KRG."
Has energy-hungry Turkey finally solved 'the Kurdish problem'?
All those civilian deaths and no U.S. military to blame them on.
Screw them....No more getting involved in intra-Arab disputes....Let ‘em all kill each other and let Allah sort it out.
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