Posted on 12/18/2011 2:33:34 PM PST by bruinbirdman
A tragedy is presently unfolding in Iraq that makes a mockery of the boast by US defence secretary Leon Panetta that American forces are leaving it a “free, independent and sovereign country”. And in two weeks’ time it seems set to come to a bloody climax.
For some years this column has been drawing attention to the horrible threat that hangs over Camp Ashraf, the once neatly-ordered town on the Iranian border which has, since 2001, been home to 3,400 Iranian exiles, members of the People’s Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI), the leading group opposed to the tyranny of the mullahs in Tehran.
In 2004, the Ashraf residents surrendered their arms in return for personal written guarantees of safety from US General David Phillips. But for months now, in anticipation of the last US forces leaving Iraq, Ashraf has been besieged by thousands of Iraqi troops, under the personal direction of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. They are acting in league with gangs of thugs from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Tehran’s equivalent of the old Soviet KGB, responsible for ruthless suppression at home and fostering terrorism abroad.
On a recent visit to Washington, Maliki openly admitted that he was preparing to close Ashraf on December 31, at Tehran’s behest. In April an assault on the town left 36 dead and 11 more have died in incidents since. In a fortnight’s time, Ashraf will be invaded and its residents are likely to be slaughtered on the spot or dispersed around Iraq, to be killed at a later date, or deported to face imprisonment or death in Iran.
No one is more anguished by this betrayal, as he recently indicated in a speech, than General Phillips.
But what is most bewildering about the tragedy is the apparent desire of the US and British governments to condone Maliki’s collaboration with the murderous intentions of Tehran – despite protests from an impressive array of former senior US officials and thousands of American and European politicians, including more than 100 from our own Parliament. Why has our Government been so keen to bow to Iran’s wishes, paving the way for the destruction of Ashraf by those same Revolutionary Guards who recently sacked our embassy in Tehran?
Britain’s opaque part in this story has been as disgraceful as anything in the humiliating record of our involvements in Iraq – which is neither free nor independent, and is less of a sovereign country today than it was when ruled by Saddam Hussein
One is also reminded of the anti-communist Russians and others handed over to Stalin under the Yalta agreements at the end of WWII. Shameful, dishonorable and short-sighted all at once - the hat trick of criminal blundering.
In truth all power of the executive had been wasted by LBJ.
Nixon took upon himself the role of Don Quiote and Ford was the janitor who locked the door of that Kennedy/Johnson Opium den.
At all times the Rats were in complete control of the the American Government.
Both houses of congress where held by Democrats who refused to honor our treaty with south Vietnam and supply them with ammo and equipment thereby giving the communists our victory and throwing the lives lost in the septic tank.
Let’s not forget the MEK is officially designated a terrorist organization by the US government.
The U.S. abandonment of SE Asia killed off 100s of thousands of Hmong, so what’s a few thousand Iraqis?
That’s how we roll, world. Take note the next time the U.S. intervenes where you live.
America? Sure you can trust her, she’d sound as a dollar!
Are we “abandoning” Iraq? Or are we leaving at the request of their freely elected government? Are we supposed to insist that our military stays — in defiance of the Iraq government’s wishes? And if they resist, do we launch a second war — fighting the government that we helped to establish through free (green finger) elections?
The Marsh Arabs were also left to swing in the wind after Desert Storm after being promised protection by Bush the Elder and Colon Bowel.
Maliki practically pledged fealty to Iran for political support in the past elections against Allawi. It's the Sunni that are worried. The Kurds have already formed their own de-facto state.
Indeed
I never thought I would say that an American President had no honor.
But I really believe he does not.
Time for a change
Leaving Iraq before it had a military capable of defending its borders was retarded. It doesn’t even have an air defence wing in its airforce, which is little more than a glorified air freight service. Is it any wonder that, like a 100lb weakling sharing a cell with a 300lb tatoo-covered psycho, it is dropping its pants and bending over for Iran like a prison bitch?
yitbos
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