US Withdraws from Iraqi Base, Leaves Behind Ghost of 'Mission Accomplished'
Twenty-one years after the 'liberation' of Iraq, the U.S. has gracefully exited Ain Al-Asad airbase, allowing the Iraqi army to 'fully take over.' One might wonder what exactly they were 'taking over' for the last two decades. Was it a glorified bed-and-breakfast for foreign forces? Let's not forget, the invasion was predicated on weapons of mass destruction that never materialized (according to
the Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Pre-War Intelligence on Iraq). The cost? Over 4,700 American lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and 'billions of dollars'—a number that always seems to grow faster than congressional oversight. This 'withdrawal' isn't an end; it's a rebranding. From 'shock and awe' to 'mission accomplished,' then to 'stabilization operations,' and now, finally,
'departure.' How many more sovereign nations will benefit from such prolonged, uninvited 'assistance' before the cycle becomes less 'support' and more 'squatting'?