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The convoy of U.U. military reinforcements, including American-made M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, was spotted heading to the Green Zone near the US Embassy in Baghdad.
The Green Zone is the fortified area where the headquarters of the government, parliament, international missions and embassies, including the US Embassy, are located.
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The reinforcements sent to protect the American Embassy seem to be a response to the alleged plan of Iran-affiliated Iraqi militias to besiege the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Shiite groups have strengthened their military presence in the Jadriya neighborhood on the Rusafa side and in the Salhiya area on the Karkh side, under the pretext of protecting the areas from the widespread popular protest movement that began in October 2019.
The alleged besiege plan was unveiled after U.S. officials threatened to close their embassy in Baghdad amid repeated missile attacks on the international coalition convoys and foreign missions in the Green Zone. These claims pushed the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, to make a big effort to prevent the departure of the U.S. and other international missions from the Iraqi capital.
American threat to leave Baghdad is likely a peace of leverage on Iraqi officials, aiming to force them to diminish the influence of pro-Iranian militias. However, not only Shiite groups are responsible for the strikes on American forces on Iraqi territory. ISIS is also often behind them.
Thats how it is. USA can stay but in a more compact and not so visible version. Th others from Nato will expand being there as replacement.
Some new embassis will open or reopen too.
Welcome in Irak boys! More pain to come and damage to your US pride…
They’ll make a bigger target for missiles once they’re concentrated in the green zone.
This sets them up for a repeat of the 1983 Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut.