Recently, the U.S. has noted the withdrawal of armed forces from Iraq, which in reality is only a regrouping of forces.
This was reported by the EADaily, citing sources in the Arab Republic.
According to available data, over the past few weeks, American representatives have been actively negotiating with the Iraqi leadership. As a result, the U.S. sold its position, providing itself with an opportunity to deploy in Iraq air defense missile systems “Patriot”. Sources specify that the weapons, in particular, are placed at the Ain al-Assad base, which at the beginning of the year suffered an Iranian missile strike. SAMs have also been transferred to the Kharir base. Two more batteries are waiting to be shipped to Iraq in Kuwait.
The publication also specifies that Washington is ready to provide “political cover” for Baghdad. The reduction of the American armed contingent in Iraq is connected with this. In addition, the U.S. understands the vulnerability of its personnel to gunfire, as the practice of recent months has shown. Thus, by reducing the group of troops, the U.S. compensates for this by building up defensive capabilities, while maintaining its presence in the country against the background of ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Earlier it was also reported that the U.S. is ready to strike Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps forces, although there were some disagreements between the Pentagon and the State Department about such a provocative step.
As News Front previously reported, the U.S. military presence has recently turned into an escalation of tensions for Iraq. Back in the end of last year, the U.S. military base in Iraqi Kirkuk was shelled, which resulted in the death of an American citizen. In response, the U.S. military contingent organized a punitive action by hitting the local Shia facilities. The U.S. actions led to mass protests. It even got to the storming of the American Embassy in Baghdad.
The situation worsened after the U.S. air strike in Iraq, which killed Iranian General Kassem Suleimani. Then even the Iraqi authorities began to demand that the Americans leave the country. At the same time, the bombardment of U.S. military facilities did not stop.