IRAQ: Extending U.S. Military Presence
17 October 2008 11:04 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
The U.N. mandate that allows us to keep our 150,000 troops in Iraq expires
at the end of the year. The new draft agreement between our countries expands
that mandate:
Iraq’s political leaders on Friday began studying a draft agreement to extend
the U.S. military presence here beyond 2008, but some lawmakers predicted
the proposal would face a tough fight in parliament.The accord was expected to face its first test Friday night, as President
Jalal Talabani scheduled a meeting of the 23-member Political Council for
National Security to discuss it. The advisory body includes political, legislative
and judicial leaders.…The new draft accord requires U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities
by mid-2009, and to leave the country by the end of 2011. …
One of the conflicts surrounding the new draft revolves around jurisdiction
over U.S. forces, which the Pentagon always maintains of military personnel.
If a crime is committed outside a base in Iraq when a service member is off
duty, the language in the new draft seems to say that the matter would go to
a panel for adjudication, with the DoD able to relinquish their jurisdiction
in cases where the crime was seen as heinous (my word, not DoD’s).
Iran, who has new input and impact on politics in Iraq since the invasion is
against the new language in the pact. They obviously want us out.
Iran, which has considerable influence among some Shiite politicians, has
openly opposed the agreement. Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces
in Iraq, told the Post on Sunday that Iran was putting on a “full-court
press” to sabotage the pact. Intelligence reports suggested the Iranians
were even trying to bribe Iraqi parliamentarians, he said. A spokesman later
added there was no confirmation the cash had been accepted.
A lasting part of the George W. Bush foreign policy legacy is that he has allowed a link to grow and
strengthen between Tehran and Baghdad, which is just one part of the extra powers
Iran has accumulated in the region since we invaded Iraq. The closer ties between Iran and Iraq will most certainly cause us problems
for a generation.
