CENTCOM Commander General Frank McKenzie meets with Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. Click to see full-size image
On February 4th, US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Frank McKenzie visited Iraq in an attempt to mend relations with the Iraqi government.
The CENTCOM commander is reportedly in Iraq to attempt and shut down the Iraqi government’s push to expel all foreign troops from the country and specifically those from the US.
McKenzie met with Iraq leaders in Baghdad and then went to see American troops at al-Asad Air base, which was struck with ballistic missiles by Iran on January 8th.
He said he was “heartened” by the meetings, adding, “I think we’re going to be able to find a way forward.”
According to a statement from Abdul-Mahdi’s office, they discussed “joint operations by Iraq and US to eliminate terrorism in the region, as well as shifting Iraq away from being a battlefield for a regional conflict”.
The statement also confirmed that Abdul-Mahdi informed McKenzie that the “Iraqi parliament decision to expel the US troops is an essential move in order to provide security and stability, as well as meeting the recent demands by the Iraqis”.
The meeting between Abdul-Mahdi and McKenzie was attended by Iraq’s Defense Minister Nijah al-Shimari. Falih al-Fayyadh, Iraq’s National Security Advisor and head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), was also in attendance.
Fayyadh participated in the storming of the US embassy compound in the Baghdad Green Zone on December 31.
McKenzie has been touring the Middle East for two weeks, alongside two reporters, but they didn’t enter Iraq with him because they had no visas.
Speaking to The Associated Press and Washington Post reporters after he returned, McKenzie said it’s difficult to predict how the discussions will turn out, particularly because the government is in transition.
He is also the highest-ranking US official to visit Iraq since the US assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on January 3rd.
While he met with outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, President Barham Saleh, and speaker of the House Mohammed al-Halbousi, he did not see the Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi.
McKenzie said that due to the strained relations, joint operations and trainings between US and Iraqi troops were carrying out at a smaller scale.
He said there is “some training” and that U.S. special operations forces are doing missions with Iraqi commandos. But, he said, “we’re still in a period of turbulence. We’ve got a ways to go.”
In addition, the US was seeking to deploy Patriot batteries to Iraq, since the Iranian strikes on al-Asad air base were so successful because there are no sophisticated missile defense from the US.
So far, 64 US troops have been reported as suffering from traumatic brain injury, in an ever-increasing number of injured personnel being admitted by the Pentagon.
“That is one of the matters we have to work on and work through” with the Baghdad government, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told a Pentagon news conference. He and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made clear that they want Patriots in Iraq as part of an effort to improve protection of U.S. forces there.
This also indicates that there are no plans whatsoever to withdraw any troops from Iraq.
McKenzie, too, said he discussed the deployment of Patriot batteries during his meetings but he declined to provide any details.
He said, however, that he believes the threat from Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq, Syria and other areas continues and that “it is a really dangerous time.”
In order to justify why he went into Iraq, he said that as the top Middle East commander, “I have a moral obligation to go there.”
He added, ’It’s important to go and see the Iraqi government, to show them we’re with them and that this is an important relationship.”
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The US needs to get out of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The sooner the better. The sooner that the Iraqis get on with it. The better for everyone. Support mechanisms need to be put in place to mitigate any Jew world order dirty tricks campaign against Iraq involving sanctions and other coercion.
Since you are USA citizen why dont you tell Trump personally. Double face ass seller.
Agreed, although it really does seem that there will be more bloodshed as this latest Iranian-American escalation episode is not a one off, not even by a long-shot.
Many have postulated about this before but I think it’s worth reiterating. If we work under the assumption that Trump (directly influenced by Israel) is indeed seeking full Iranian capitulation; meaning Iran stops nuclear work 100%, stops Missile work, stops funding regional allies/proxies, reduces influences in the region. Then he will stave off any further escalations that would lead into an intense short-lived conflict until his next term since then he will have 4 more years to play around with options and to get ready for a war if he so does choose to engage in one (which is a high possibility IMO).
What remains to be seen is how determined the Iraqis are in getting the Americans out. I do agree with you that Iraq should kick the Americans the boot but we all know once the U.S. is entrenched, it’s very difficult to get them to leave, especially willingly.
Trump’s not interested in war with Iran, even for Israel. He knows that what you write about in terms of forcing Iranian capitulation isn’t going to happen and that he can’t make it happen. Whether he’ll shed American blood for Israel against a regional coalition enforcing UN and other resolutions that is armed with nuclear weapons that can obliterate the US in 30 minutes, and Israel in a few minutes remains to be seen. Hopefully he isn’t that stupid.
As far as getting the US out of Iraq. Providing Iraq a soft landing during and after the eviction process would go a long ways towards bringing it about with a minimum of hostilities.
What’s your ‘gut’ feeling on the matter?
I wanna believe that the U.S. will peacefully pack up and leave but that just isn’t a viable reality now is it…
It depends on how insistent the Iraqis are on getting the US out. And how much support they get in terms of counter measures to mitigate US coercion. There’s a lot that can and is being done on both sides below the kinetic threshold.
An escalation of the insurgency to force the US out kinetically is only part of the equation. The JewS obviously doesn’t want to leave. Will they agree to leave in response to pressure below the kinetic threshold? Probably, if there is enough pressure. Will there be enough non violent pressure applied to get the job done? I don’t know. I certainly hope so.
There’s a lot that the Iraqis can do short of the use of force to get the US out. Like denying entry of personnel and equipment. Restricting travel within Iraq to existing forces. Turning off utilities. Disengaging from joint operations, etc..
The Centcom’s general first question probably was: “Do you know why everybody hates us? We just can’t figure out why? “
Humpty Dumpty can’t be fixed, stupids.
Not really, a pro-Hezbollah Allawi has been appointed as the PM of Iraq and the Americunt dumbasses are in panic mode.
US Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, US Mid-East commander, paid a panic visit to Baghdad on Tuesday, Feb. 4, after Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi was named by the Iraqi president to form a new Iraqi government. This was the first visit to Baghdad by a high-ranking American commander since the treacherous and cowardly killing of Iran’s Al Qods chief Qassem Soleimani in a US air strike last month.
Allawi is known to be close friend of the Lebanese Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whom Tehran has entrusted with consolidating its influence in Baghdad in the wake of the assassination. There is therefore a high probability that the incoming Iraqi prime minister will push harder than his short-lived predecessors to evict US forces from the country. The Iraqi parliament had previously made this demand,but it was not binding on the government. Allawi, now coordinating with Sayyed Nasrallah, is expected to rephrase the resolution in a way that forces government action in expelling the US and NATO occupation forces.
What’s your ‘gut’ feeling on the matter?
I wanna believe that the U.S. will peacefully pack up and leave but that just isn’t a viable reality now is it…
You think it’s going to come down to kinetic blows when all is said and done, also any updates on what’s going on?
Most of my comments are based on experience, wisdom of age and straight-talking rather that “gut” feeling, we have the coronavirus for that :)
The Americunts along with 56 puppet vassal states invaded Iraq for two reasons, primarily to loot its OIL and secondly to remove a threat to the Zionist cancer by destroying the Arab world’s most advanced state. There is ZERO chance of the Americunts either leaving Iraq or Syria voluntarily, and will have to be pushed out by a liberation struggle. Contrary to all the Jew propaganda about the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, he was basically a peacemaker and was responsible for stopping the very successful Mehdi army and Kataeb Hezbollah attacks on the Americunts and NATO occupation forces in 2009.
Now Iran’s policy towards the Americunt and NATO occupation of Iraq and Syria is hardening with younger hardliners in the Qods force coming to leadership positions, as was quite expected by anyone with functioning brain cells. So, I see a major conflict against the occupation forces building up as Iraq’s new PM Mohammed Allawi is a very close friend of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Nasrallah. The Americunts are stretched too thin and will not last too long when the liberation struggle starts soon.
“On February 4th, US Central AIPAC Command (CENTACOM) commander General Frank McKenzie visited Iraq in an attempt to mend relations with the Iraqi government.”
Good thing McKenzie wasn’t there on a diplomatic mission to mend relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudis would have set him up, Iran would have taken him out with a drone, and Pompeo and Pence would be wrestling the nuclear football away from Trump to bring Jesus back.
McKenzie would have, maybe a few hundred mourners – mostly his staff and commanders because they got the day off. Joint Chief of Staff Milley would get more because all the defense contractors would send someone for show. Which would be kind of embarrassing, since there were more people than that hurt or killed just in the stampede at Solemieni’s funeral procession of several million
I have no idea what kind of person Gen. McKenzie and Gen. Milley are except that – with few exceptions – the vast majority of Americans have never heard of them and never will. They’ll go into the dustbin of failed American wars like all the rest.
The Pics tells it. The PM is asking ( not demanding ) The US general “hell no”
They are treating Iraq as a colony rather than a sovereign nation they are like a parasite once they get in its hard to get rid of them.!!!!