Iraq PM: US Out or Factions Stay. Washington Asks 'Who's Occupying?'
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani claims his government can only disarm internal factions once the U.S.-led coalition fully exits. He cites the coalition's presence as a galvanizing force for groups seeing it as an 'occupying force.' (One might wonder why that view exists after two decades of US military presence.) This isn’t groundbreaking analysis, despite how the mainstream media
frames it. For years, regional actors, and even some US officials speaking off the record, have linked American military presence to increased instability, not less. It appears that for some, the 'counter-terrorism' mission has become indistinguishable from the 'perpetual presence' mission.