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Trump is turning base's over to Iraq


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Remember when President Trump said if Iraq wanted our Base's in Iraq they would have to pay for them? 

So what does this mean?

:pirateship::bagofmoney::bagofmoney:

 

 

 
TPJ3RHCSP5HFHLMFSB75MKHSDI.jpg U.S. soldiers stand guard during the hand over ceremony of Qayyarah Airfield, Iraqi Security Forces, in the south of Mosul, Iraq early Friday, March 27, 2020. Iraq's military on Thursday said at least two rockets hit inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government and home to the American Embassy, in the first attack following a brief lull in violence from earlier this month. (AP Photo/Ali Abdul Hassan)

BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq withdrew Sunday from a military base in the country’s north that nearly launched Washington into an open war with neighboring Iran.

 

The K1 Air Base is the third site coalition forces have left this month, in line with U.S. plans to consolidate its troops in two locations in Iraq.

A rocket attack on the base in late December killed one another site and lead to a series of ***-for-tat attacks between the U.S. and Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups. The attacks culminated in the U.S.-directed killing of top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a senior Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Coalition forces handed over the K1 base in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk to Iraq's military, according to a coalition statement. At least $1.1 million of equipment was transferred to the Iraqis as 300 coalition personnel departed.

Until last month, there were some 7,500 coalition troops based in Iraq, including 5,000 U.S. forces.

Withdrawals are planned “in the coming days” from two bases in western Iraq, said Col. Myles Caggins, a coalition spokesman. He said troops have so far been relocated to other bases in the country and some will head home in the coming weeks, but did not specify how many.

He said the two bases are the Nineveh Operations Command in Mosul — Iraq’s second-largest city and which was under the Islamic State group's control from 2014 until 2017 — and the Taqaddum military airport outside the city of Habbaniya, on the Euphrates River.

K1 has hosted coalition forces since 2017 to launch operations against IS in nearby mountainous areas. Areas south of Kirkuk, and north of neighboring provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin and Nineveh remain hotbeds of IS activity.

 

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Iraq military bases: US pulling out of three key sites

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-middle-east-51914600

By Nafiseh KohnavardBBC Persian, Iraq
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Al-Qaim base
Image captionAl-Qaim is in a flashpoint area along the Iraq-Syria border

The US army is pulling out of al-Qaim and two other key military bases in Iraq in the coming weeks.

The decision to leave three of its eight bases in Iraq is a sign the US is looking to dramatically reduce its footprint in the country.

It comes amid heightened tensions with the Iraqi government and Iran.

A ceremony will take place this week at al-Qaim, where the US will formally hand over equipment to the Iraqi army to help it ensure security in the area.

It will end any US presence along the Iraqi side of the border with Syria.

The base is built on the ruins of one of Iraq's oldest train stations, near a tiny town of the same name along the Euphrates river.

The area was the first place in Iraq to fall into the hands of the Islamic State group (IS) in 2014 and one of the last taken back by Iraqi forces in November 2017.

Al Qaim military base, 2017
Image captionThe al-Qaim area was the first place in Iraq to fall to IS and one of the last taken back

After the victory against IS in the area, Iranian-backed militia groups took control of both sides of the border.

Although Iraqi security forces have also had a presence around al-Qaim, it is now mainly under the control of one of those militia groups, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF),

I have travelled to al-Qaim with US forces twice in the past two years and have witnessed how the atmosphere around the base has gradually changed.

In December 2017, both Iraqi and US flags could be seen flying as US-led coalition and Iraqi forces worked together to fight IS.

At that time, PMF-affiliated groups, especially Kataib Hezbollah and al-Tofof Brigades, both with close ties to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), were also fighting IS on both sides of the border.

It was an uncomfortable situation for both sides but they had a common enemy to defeat. The Iraqi army acted as a go-between, often co-ordinating parallel operations against IS.

'We will make them leave'

But during my last trip in December 2018, the mood in the area had changed dramatically. Iranian-backed groups had become part of Iraq's official security forces and were gaining power.

That year only one flag was flying at al-Qaim, the Americans had taken control of the base. But outside the base, roads were littered with PMF flags and billboards picturing Iran's supreme leader, a man some PMF groups think of as their religious leader and commander.

Map showing US military bases in Iraq

US convoys had to pass through PMF-controlled checkpoints to travel to their artillery base on the Syrian border.

But the PMF started to make their opposition to the presence of US troops in Iraq clear, saying they were able to handle any threat from IS alone. Kataib Hezbollah accused the US of attacking its bases near the Syrian border, something the US-led coalition repeatedly denied.

"We will make them leave if they don't want to leave," a Kataib Hezbollah commander who called himself Abu Ameneh told us in an interview at the PMF's headquarters in Baghdad.

The US killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq earlier this year further destabilised the fragile dynamic.

An American soldier on the Iraq-Syria border, 2018
Image captionA US soldier on the Iraq-Syria border. Some at al-Qaim will probably be redeployed inside Iraq

Gen Soleimani, the head of the elite force in the IRGC, was killed on 3 January in a US drone attack near Baghdad airport, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq's PMF. It led to a vote in Iraq's parliament to expel all foreign forces, especially the Americans, from the country.

US officials say they have been planning to leave areas like al-Qaim since last year because of the reduced threat from IS but concern for the safety of US and coalition forces has accelerated the move.

Spate of attacks

A senior US defence official told the BBC that the proximity of Kataib Hezbollah to the base was "a key factor within the calculation of the decision to move forces elsewhere".

The US also plans to withdraw from Qayara Airfield West, known as Q-West, and Kirkuk.

Qayara was the base used in the US-backed operation to take back Mosul from IS. Both bases have been hit by rocket attacks in recent months. A US contractor was killed in a rocket attack at Kirkuk on 28 December.

The attack was blamed on Kataib Hezbollah and was followed by US air strikes against the group's headquarters in both Syria and Iraq, which killed 25 people.

Image copyrightUS CENTRAL COMMANDImages of rocket attack on Taji base
Image captionA rocket attack on Camp Taji killed two Americans and a British soldier

At least 25 rocket attacks, unleashing more than 160 individual rockets, have hit US bases in Iraq since October 2019.

Last week, two attacks on the Taji base killed three coalition members, and severely wounded two members of the Iraqi security forces.

However, the retaliatory attack by the US on locations that the Americans say were Kataib Hezbollah ammunition storage facilities killed three Iraqi army personnel, two local police officers and one civilian.

The attacks soured relations between the Americans in Iraq and the country's army, their hosts and original partners in the fight against IS.

In an unusual move, the Iraqi Joint Operation Command, the control centre for all military activity in Iraq, issued a statement blaming both sides but backing up parliament's vote to ask the Americans to leave.

The official number of US troops in Iraq has been estimated at up to 5,200. It is not clear how many troops will be redeployed following the three base closures, as some will be moved to other operational bases within the country.

The future of these remaining troops is not certain. The US hopes its relationship with Iraq's security forces is far from over, but many in Iraq think America has outstayed its welcome.

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Holy Cow!  I'm afraid to say this, but there are an awful lot of things pointing to RV.  

Yes, @ladyGrace'sDaddy I do remember President Trump saying if Iraq wanted their bases back they would have to pay for them.

 

Per Google:  

How many US military bases are in Iraq?

Iraq. There are approximately 5,500 U.S. Special Operations Forces in Iraq, spread across 7 different facilities, and another 5 bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, being used as training bases for Iraqi and Kurdish forces as well as launching operations against targets in Syria.
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2 hours ago, Floridian said:

There are approximately 5,500 U.S. Special Operations Forces in Iraq, spread across 7 different facilities, and another 5 bases in Iraqi Kurdistan

And as of Saturday's turnovers that is a total of five base's released to Iraq. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Rochester said:

:goodnews:There is supposed to be a big conference, on the future of Iraq, in June. The fact that America is pulling out of some bases tells me an agreement has been reached already. An Agreement on what? The thing about these big conferences is all the work is usually done before hand, behind the scenes. Often the actual conference, the signing of things, is just for show.

 

One of the things I wonder about, is the future of the American  :eagle:  military presence in Kurdistan. :salute::flagsmiley: The Kurds are quite unusual, among the Muslim world. Kurds actually LIKE Americans. They would welcome an American base, if they had their way. That's something the late writer Christopher Hitchens used to talk about. Could it be that an American base will be left there? We'll find out. The Kurds would like that outcome, the Iranians would hate that, the Iraqi Shiites would oppose that.

 

Retreating all American forces to Kuwait is another option. It's only a couple of hours drive by tank, to re-invade, if need be.

 

Will Iraq pay for the American bases? Was Trump right? Will a financial deal be worked out, where China gets to help Iraq develop, gets Iraq oil, but the Iraqi Dinar is supported by Chinese money, so Iraq gets rich and America gets to cash in it's Iraqi Dinar at some point....to pay for the war and pay for the bases? :rulez:   That's the deal I would like to see....I'm sure President Trump would like to see, but I have no clue what's going on, behind the scene.

 

We'll see what happens...:peace: :bananacamel::bagofmoney:

 

Go RV

Go final agreements

Go Prosperity for Iraq

My suspicion is, for better or worse, the deal leading to the RV has already happened. That's why we are seeing American military bases being turned over. I could be wrong, it's just my guess...:cheesehead:

Go Soon :soon:

 

 

I'm pretty much in agreement with you in this post Rochester and i do find your posts to be well thought out, however, and I'm betting you're not prior service and that's quite alright.

 

" Retreating all American forces to Kuwait is another option." The word "Retreat " is a most distasteful word to an American Fighting Man ( I'm a former Abrams Tank Commander ). I'm not offended by your statement in the least. It's all good here erst assured.

 

Perhaps the phrase " A Strategic Redeployment of all American forces to Kuwait is another option " would be the better choice.    

 

I take no offense and none is intended towards you: just helping you to understand our mindset. We would joke about " Advancing to the Rear " but that's the order to Advance & strike at the ENEMY'S Rear :lol:. . .  Tankers on the Battlefield, there's just no Rear for us to retreat to. . . only   - A Strategic Redeployment - at best. It does sound like splitting hairs with phrases, but in our profession there's allot of Dark Humor for everyone.

 

US Tankers ( and all combat troops ) will tell you when they point to or reference the Flag - " These Colors Don't Run " 

 

The fight is wherever we find it or ordered where to go. We are constantly on move. 

 

We're probably a rather unusual bunch as Tankers go . . . some would call us crazy and there's other even more colorful adjectives for us.

All the Best and I for one certainly hope you've " cracked the code " as it were. 16 1/2 years has been a very long wait.  :salute:

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28 minutes ago, horsesoldier said:

 

I'm pretty much in agreement with you in this post Rochester and i do find your posts to be well thought out, however, and I'm betting you're not prior service and that's quite alright.

 

" Retreating all American forces to Kuwait is another option." The word "Retreat " is a most distasteful word to an American Fighting Man ( I'm a former Abrams Tank Commander ). I'm not offended by your statement in the least. It's all good here erst assured.

 

Perhaps the phrase " A Strategic Redeployment of all American forces to Kuwait is another option " would be the better choice.    

 

I take no offense and none is intended towards you: just helping you to understand our mindset. We would joke about " Advancing to the Rear " but that's the order to Advance & strike at the ENEMY'S Rear :lol:. . .  Tankers on the Battlefield, there's just no Rear for us to retreat to. . . only   - A Strategic Redeployment - at best. It does sound like splitting hairs with phrases, but in our profession there's allot of Dark Humor for everyone.

 

US Tankers ( and all combat troops ) will tell you when they point to or reference the Flag - " These Colors Don't Run " 

 

The fight is wherever we find it or ordered where to go. We are constantly on move. 

 

We're probably a rather unusual bunch as Tankers go . . . some would call us crazy and there's other even more colorful adjectives for us.

All the Best and I for one certainly hope you've " cracked the code " as it were. 16 1/2 years has been a very long wait.  :salute:

Thanks for your comment, no I've never been in the military. That's why I used the wrong word. Didn't know.

 

Yeah I knew a few army guys. A lot of people are like me, they never served, but find a lot of it very interesting. Like most kids in the days of black and white TV,  I played Army as a kid....

 

Army life  must be a  hell of an interesting life. I knew a guy who served overseas as a Canadian Peace Keeper....he has lots of stories.  Lots of stories over beers and BBQ. His dad was WWII vet, at Normandy I think...told me a story I'll never forget.

 

I think being in the army, it goes with the way of life,  that lots of crazy stuff must happen, so you must have to develop a hell of a sense of humor, to survive. I've wished a time or two, that I had chosen such a path in life. 

 

When I read your comment, the movie that leaped to mind, was "The Dirty Dozen". Classic movie, amazing cast.

 

I hope I have "cracked the code"....we'll see

 

All the best to you and yours....:salute:

 

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6 minutes ago, Rochester said:

Thanks for your comment, no I've never been in the military. That's why I used the wrong word. Didn't know.

 

Yeah I knew a few army guys. A lot of people are like me, they never served, but find a lot of it very interesting. Like most kids in the days of black and white TV,  I played Army as a kid....

 

Army life  must be a  hell of an interesting life. I knew a guy who served overseas as a Canadian Peace Keeper....he has lots of stories.  Lots of stories over beers and BBQ. His dad was WWII vet, at Normandy I think...told me a story I'll never forget.

 

I think being in the army, it goes with the way of life,  that lots of crazy stuff must happen, so you must have to develop a hell of a sense of humor, to survive. I've wished a time or two, that I had chosen such a path in life. 

 

When I read your comment, the movie that leaped to mind, was "The Dirty Dozen". Classic movie, amazing cast.

 

I hope I have "cracked the code"....we'll see

 

All the best to you and yours....:salute:

 

You're a Stand Up fellow Rochester - fingers crossed it's :soon:for REAL this time :tiphat:

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10 hours ago, horsesoldier said:

A Strategic Redeployment

 

I love it !! Hit 'em in their REAR !!  And thanks for your service. I did some contractor work for the Army at Camp Taji back in 2009-2010. Nothing but respect for ALL our military. Not too impressed with the Iraq military I met. So they better buck up and defend those bases. Not the run and hide they did when ISIS came knockin'.

                                                                                                      :flagsmiley:

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It appears 5200 is the magic number of troops being reported. When I see that number go to 2300 I will get a little excited. The US closing bases might make the Iranians feel better BUT just relocating their troops to other bases is just mind games for the Iraqis....

I want to see a draw down, show us the troops number go down with the base hand overs...

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5 hours ago, CSM (R) Thack said:

It is!! Or...it was (lol)...loved all 30 years I spent in uniform!!! However, retirement has it PROs as well!!👍🇺🇸

It is a interesting life for a kid growing up a brat also. I loved it. Went from Army brat to Navy, don't ask me why. My father said the food was better? Who knows. The only thing I couldn't understand being young was why he had to leave. (Vietnam twice)

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1 hour ago, jmartin1145 said:

It is a interesting life for a kid growing up a brat also. I loved it. Went from Army brat to Navy, don't ask me why. My father said the food was better? Who knows. The only thing I couldn't understand being young was why he had to leave. (Vietnam twice)

One team one fight!!!👍🇺🇸

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On 5/26/2020 at 5:56 PM, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

U.S. pulls out of a third base in Iraq

 

On 5/26/2020 at 5:59 PM, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

Iraq military bases: US pulling out of three key sites

 

20 hours ago, Laid Back said:

Why Trump is turning base’s over to Iraq?

I believe is because Iraq is about to become a sovereign nation.

A sovereign nation with an international recognized IQD.

 

Go Iraq

Go sovereignty

Go RV 

 

My only question to this is what about the possibility of ISIS or IRG taking over again.  This would be a big problem if the Iraqi Army is not ready or fit to protect Iraq.  We all saw what happened with that when Obozo pulled our troops out of Iraq.  So I for one don't want to see a repeat of that and the RV get pushed out farther again.  So maybe, hopefully, probably, and all the other ly's the behind the scenes strategy is well thought out and planned just in case.  But who knows and we won't know until then.

 

Just my  :twocents:

 

SR

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