Iraqis, not US troops, must be the ones who counter Iran’s influence in Iraq – Military Times
The third time was the charm. After six months of uncertainty and chaos, last week Iraqs parliament finally confirmed Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the third nominee for the post, as prime minister. Kadhimi faces a pandemic, plummeting oil prices, ISIS remnants, and a simmering anti-corruption movement that has had hundreds of its demonstrators killed by security forces. The last thing he needs is a proxy war on his soil.
A few thousand U.S. troops remain in Iraq today, despite being hamstrung by both the coronavirus pandemic and the force protection measures that followed Januarys flare up in tensions with Iran. These troops are a liability, not an asset: bottled up on big bases, they are hostages to Iranian military power in the region. The U.S. presence in Iraq enables Iran to escalate at will, with at least some deniability via its Iraqi proxies in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militias.
At the tactical level, trading missiles with Iranian proxies is a fight America should avoid. Last month the Pentagon conducted operational planning to destroy the Iran-sponsored Kataib Hezbollah militia a task that is not achievable without enormous U.S. military escalation on the soil of an American partner. The U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Robert P. White, bluntly warned against just that.
Iran also gets a lopsided return on its investment in Iraqi surrogates. A U.S. Special Forces soldier costs over $1 million to recruit, train and equip. A brand new Marine infantryman has at least $45,000 invested in him. But the obsolescent Katyusha rockets being flung at U.S. outposts in Iraq can be had for $450. The militiamen who set them off also come cheap. With ample recruits available to the PMF, a war of attrition is one the United States will not win, even against a plague-ravaged, economically wrecked Iran.
Further fighting in Iraq is also a dangerous distraction for the United States. The Islamic State, which justified the U.S. military presence in the first place, has been reduced to dead-enders in rural redoubts. The United States has invested fifteen years in training Iraqi security forces; Baghdad should be able to extinguish Islamic State remnants on its own.
As even former Trump administration officials have publicly warned, any further conflict in the Middle East is a distraction from countering Americas only major adversary: China. This is doubly true today, with coronavirus-stricken aircraft carriers tied up in port, the Department of Defense still struggling with how to handle the pandemic, and American allies preoccupied with their own borders and public health measures.
The long-term cost of remaining in Iraq is even more dire: further entrenching Iranian power in Baghdad.
The original sin of the U.S. invasion in 2003 handed Iran predominance in its neighbors affairs. Though opposed by many Iraqi Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and even many Shia, Iran has enormous influence in Iraq. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the security forces.
Get the military's most comprehensive news and information every morning
(please select a country) United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Subscribe
By giving us your email, you are opting in to the Early Bird Brief.
The PMF themselves are part of the Iraqi state, receiving over $2 billion in government funding last year and reporting directly to the prime minister. Mustered by a fatwa from Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in 2014, the PMF are justly considered heroes in Iraq. Together with Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqs Counter-Terrorism Service, the PMF destroyed the Islamic State in Iraq through a grinding three-year campaign of urban warfare.
There is only one instrument likely to reverse Iranian influence in Iraq: the triumph of genuine Iraqi nationalism. There have been stirrings of this, especially in the wave of the anti-corruption protests that have only recently hit a lull. The rhetoric of the enigmatic Muqtada al-Sadr, an enemy of the U.S. occupation but now a sometime opponent of Iranian influence, is further evidence of Iraqs struggle for true independence.
The keyword, though, is genuine. The best way to de-legitimize Iraqi nationalism and sovereignty is with U.S. missiles killing Iraqi militiamen, even when amply justified. Regular Iraqis have already been caught in the crossfire: the March 13 U.S. airstrikes on Kataib Hezbollah are alleged to have also killed Iraqi soldiers, police, and civilians. Just as nations invariably rally around the flag in wartime, so are U.S. strikes in Iraq likely to undermine nationalists and drive hesitant Iraqis toward Iran. Few will support perceived American puppets or quislings. Americas endless efforts to find and nurture Iraqi nationalists have yielded little fruit.
This all comes at a time when Iran may have overplayed its hand. A leadership struggle is ongoing among the PMF, a rare positive unintended consequence of the U.S. killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in January. Though he was elected with the tacit approval of both the U.S. and Iran, Kadhimi has already reinstated the popular, U.S.-friendly head of the CTS.
U.S. forces were wisely withdrawn from a number of outlying bases last month, a long-planned consolidation that also put troops under the protection of Patriot missile defense and shorter-ranged C-RAM (counter rocket, artillery, and mortar) systems. Getting U.S. troops out of Iraq altogether should be the next step. America can still exert influence in Iraq through other, better means: diplomacy, information, and economic aid.
If Iranian dominance of Iraq is to be overcome, it must be at the hands of Iraqis. The American military mission in Iraq is long overdue for conclusion. After nearly two decades of futile and bloody American effort, it is time for Iraqis to solve their own problems.
Gil Barndollar is a senior fellow at Defense Priorities and at the Catholic University of Americas Center for the Study of Statesmanship. He served as a U.S. Marine infantry officer from 2009 to 2016.
Editors note: This is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please contact Military Times managing editor Howard Altman, haltman@militarytimes.com.
Continued here:
Iraqis, not US troops, must be the ones who counter Iran's influence in Iraq - Military Times
- TotalEnergies breaks ground on 1GW Basra solar farm in Iraq - PV Tech - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Remarks by Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance, at... - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Iraq Identifies Tankers Spoofing to Conceal Their Location - Marine News Magazine - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Public fury in Iraq after clashes between militia and security forces - MSN - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades Denies Involvement In Baghdad Gunfight, Frames Escalation As 'Malicious' Foreign Attempt To Divide Iraq And Drive Government... - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Announce of first womens party in Iraq - - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- The Mandaeans in Iraq, whose marriage depends on river water levels - Trkiye Today - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Pakistan Is Arranging Special Flights for Pilgrims Traveling to Iran and Iraq Amid Security Concerns: Heres What You Should Know Now - Travel And Tour... - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Iraq grants patents for cancer therapy and smart tech innovations - Shafaq News - - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- The Bright Side: Iraq's women table tennis athletes chase the Paralympic dream - France 24 - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Iraq to invite bids for $17bn road and rail project later this year - Arabian Gulf Business Insight | AGBI - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- Iraq to begin operations at 1GW solar plant by year-end - Arabian Gulf Business Insight | AGBI - July 28th, 2025 [July 28th, 2025]
- New 55-acre bike park opens in Victor, created by Iraq veteran and family - KPAX News - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Iraq warns of severe drought due to low water inflows from upstream countries - Xinhua - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Hundreds Protest in Babil , Iraq Over Severe Water Shortages Amid Scorching Heat - kurdistan24.net - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- International Coalition appoints new commander for its forces in Syria and Iraq - - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Hamedan, Iran, Hosts Third International Medical Tourism Conference, Attracts Patients from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Beyond- What You Really Need To... - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Resecurity Partners with Iraq Cyber Events Response Team (IQ-CERT) to Advance National Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence - Business Wire - July 27th, 2025 [July 27th, 2025]
- Why Turkey plans to end its 52-year oil pipeline deal with Iraq - AL-Monitor - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Will Iraq recover billions in vanished assets abroad? - Amwaj.media - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iraq Air Base Award is Tainted by Pay-to-Play, Protester Says - Bloomberg Law News - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iraq records 30 deaths from viral haemorrhagic fever in 2025 - The New Arab - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iraq Stock Exchange trades over 7 billion dinars this week - Iraqi News - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iran Must Relearn the Lessons from Its Eight-Year War with Iraq - The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- At least 4 killed in fire in Iraq's capital Baghdad - Xinhua - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Germany: Yazidi family among those deported to Iraq - InfoMigrants - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Resecurity Partners with Iraq Cyber Events Response Team (IQ-CERT) to Advance National Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence - New Castle News - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iraq Launches City of Gold in Baghdad to Boost Non-Oil Economy and Jewelry Industry - Sada Elbalad english - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iran, Iraq MPs allied in idea of US withdrawal from Iraq - Mehr News Agency - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Resecurity Partners with Iraq Cyber Events Response Team (IQ-CERT) to Advance National Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence - Bakersfield.com - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Iraq: Pipeline Termination a Formality, New Deal in the Works - kurdistan24.net - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Top 10 worlds most safe and unsafe countries: India trails behind Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and even Iraq - The Indian Express - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Tony Blair was urged to delay US invasion of Iraq, archives reveal - The Times - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Britain told US that invading Iraq could cost Blair his premiership, papers reveal - The Guardian - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Iraq Syndrome is dead, why PBS & NPR had to go and other commentary - New York Post - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Turkey submits draft proposal to Iraq to renew, expand energy agreement - Reuters - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Watch Turkey to Seek New Oil Deal With Iraq on Idled Pipeline - Bloomberg.com - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Turkey Eyes New Deal with Iraq on Idled Oil Pipeline - Rigzone - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- It was politically impossible for UK to draw back from Iraq War, new files claim - The Independent - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Trkiyes oil agreement with top exporter Iraq ends by 2026heres what we know - Trkiye Today - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- UK warned US that Iraq war could topple Tony Blair - The New Arab - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Why Turkey ended the oil pipeline pact with Iraq - Arabian Gulf Business Insight | AGBI - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Trkiye seeks new Iraq deal as it ends over 50-year oil pipeline pact | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Turkey Seeks New Deal with Iraq to Revive Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline - Pipeline and Gas Journal - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Register today to embark on a Spiritual and Educational Journey to Iraq - Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Iraq makes 'decisive findings' about drone attacks without identifying who targeted its bases - ABC News - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Iraq works to rein in culprits after sequence of drone attacks on energy and oil sites - Yahoo Home - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Iraq Set for Key Oil Cargo Surge in Sign of Increased Output - Bloomberg.com - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Officials try to identify 18 bodies in deadly Iraq shopping mall fire - ABC News - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Pope offers condolences, prayers for victims of Iraq fire - Vatican News - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Nutley Mayor John Kelly to deploy with NJ National Guard to Iraq next month - Bergen Record - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Nutley Township mayor set to be deployed to Iraq - News 12 - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Iraq concludes 2025 wheat marketing season with over 6.5 million tons stored - Iraqi News - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Iraq Set for Key Oil Cargo Surge in Sign of Increased Output - gCaptain - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- More than 60 die in fire at newly opened shopping mall in Iraq - The Guardian - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- PKK member killed in Iraq by unidentified drone - The Jerusalem Post - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Vacuum of power: What follows the PKKs fade from Iraq? | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Over 10 years after ISIS takeover, Iraq's Mosul Airport reopens: What to know - AL-Monitor - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Drones Hit Oil Fields in Northern Iraq in Spree of Attacks - Bloomberg.com - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Iraq makes 'decisive findings' about drone attacks without identifying who targeted its bases - Indiana Gazette Online - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Iraq urges Turkiye to act in most severe water scarcity in decades - Shafaq News - - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Earthquake Strikes Duhok Province in Northern Iraq... - jordannews.jo - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Sixty people killed in mall fire in al-Kut city, eastern Iraq - The Jerusalem Post - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Crude Oil Prices Erase Early Gains On The Outlook For Iraq To Boost Crude Exports - Barchart.com - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Investigating deadly Iraq fire and assessing situation in Syria - BBC - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Drone attacks on oil fields in Iraqs Kurdish region shut down facilities - AP News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Over 60 dead after fire rips through shopping mall in Iraq - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Dozens killed as massive fire rips through shopping mall in eastern Iraq - CNN - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Iraq Agrees on Oil Plan With Kurds in Step Toward Export Deal - Bloomberg - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Nutley Mayor Kelly to be Deployed to Iraq - TAPinto - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- More than 60 people killed as fire breaks out in newly opened Iraq mall - France 24 - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Funerals held for victims of mall fire in eastern Iraq - AP News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Oil prices barely changed amid disruptions in Iraq and fears of US tariffs - - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Iraq draws Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in final World Cup playoff as hope and caution collide - Iraqi News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Over 60 people killed commercial building fire in Iraq - WPLG Local 10 - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Fire at newly opened mall in Iraq kills more than 60 people - New York Post - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- A fire at a shopping center in eastern Iraq kills more than 60 people - The Journal Gazette - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Iraq turns to solar energy with 535 government projects and citizen incentives - bne IntelliNews - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- International community offers condolences and support to Iraq after deadly Wasit shopping center fire - Iraqi News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- "Our goal is to make microgreens accessible to every household in Iraq" - Hortidaily - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]