U.S. troops withdrew from Saigon in disarrays at the end of April 1975, and in 2021, U.S. troops withdrew from Kabul in a hurry. The two evacuations were embarrassed, leaving a bunch of supplies and equipment in the chaos and leaving behind the local collaborators. Now, perhaps, it will be repeated in Iraq. According to reports, the US military has opened negotiations with Iraq to discuss the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
In 2023, US Secretary of State Colin Powell shook a bottle of "laundry detergent" twice to start the Iraq War, and since then US troops have been stationed in Iraq for 20 years. Twenty years later, the continuous attacks of the Shiite militia in Iraq became the "last straw" that crushed the US military. The U.S. military finally let go of its original arrogance and had to consider a decent withdrawal.
Since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in response to Hamas's struggle, armed groups supported by Iran have joined the fighting, and the Houthis, Iraqi militias, and Allah in Lebanon have carried out frequent attacks on US military bases. Since the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, US military bases in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 130 times. Iran also personally carried out a missile attack on Erbil, although the target was not directly aimed at the US military base, but the target was near the US military base and consulate, which also made the US military tremble.
Why is this happening to the U.S. military in Iraq? Why did the U.S. military start withdrawing from Iraq?
First of all, the U.S. military helped Iran open up the second line of Ren Du. Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraq and Iran were old enemies in the Middle East. Iran is a "Shia" country, Iraq is in power is a "Sunni", and the two sides have fought an eight-year "Iran-Iraq war", and both sides have fought hard and finally lost both. In the Iraq War, the U.S. military defeated Saddam Hussein and put Iraq's "Shiites" in power. Today, Iran and Iraq are Shiite countries, and the two sides are interdependent and have become friendly countries. Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini did not fulfill his wish, and the United States defeated Saddam Hussein to fulfill Khomeini's wish.
Iraq is located at the geographical hub of the Middle East, bordering Turkey to the north, Syria and Jordan to the west, and Saudi Arabia to the south. The proximity of Iraq and Iran is tantamount to opening up the two veins of Iran's governors, and Iran's personnel and military equipment have been continuously exported through Iraq, arming many civilian armed forces. During the Syrian war, Iranian military personnel continued to enter Syria through Iraq, and in the end, Iran helped Bashar al-Assad stabilize the situation and thwart the actions of US troops and opposition forces in Syria. There are currently a number of pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Iraq, which are the result of Iran's long-term exports. After years of operation, Iran has now created an "arc of Shiite resistance" with Iran as the core, covering Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and other regions, and many civilian armed forces have become Iran's little brothers on the front line of resistance to the United States.
Second, the Taliban's repulsion of U.S. troops in Afghanistan provides experience and lessons for the Middle East. On October 7, 2001, the U.S. military attacked Afghanistan, and on November 12, 2001, the Taliban fled Kabul overnight, and the Taliban's rise to power came to an end.
The Taliban slowly recovered in remote areas, gradually controlling a small part of Afghanistan, relying on guerrilla warfare to deal with the U.S. military, and constantly harassing the U.S. military. In the mountains of Central Asia, heavily armed US troops have repeatedly wiped out the Taliban, but each time they have returned in vain. Without a first-class target, no fixed base, and no large-scale staffing, the US military cannot find a target to strike. The local Afghan troops armed by the US military with a lot of money have low morale, and once they are attacked, they will abandon **, flee quickly, and eventually become "transport captains", and a lot of ** equipment has been captured by the Taliban.
It was through guerrilla warfare that the Taliban eventually dragged down the U.S. military, and eventually formed a scene of the Taliban besieging the city and the U.S. troops withdrawing from Kabul in disarray. Many local people who cooperated with the US military were abandoned, so some even climbed on the landing gear of the plane, hoping to be taken away by the US military, which also became the saddest picture of the US military withdrawal.
Today, the scene of Afghanistan is replaying itself in Iraq and Syria. Civilian anti-American forces also engaged in guerrilla warfare, often firing a few rockets or firing one or two missiles at US military bases, and then quickly withdrawing. Even if the U.S. military returned fire, they could not find the target. Even if the U.S. military finds a target to carry out an air strike, it will not be able to cause serious losses to the other side, because the opponent's personnel are scattered, the equipment is cheap, there is no fixed place, and in most cases the ammunition is consumed in vain. The first US attack on the Houthis was a typical case, with more than 130 missiles that killed five Houthis and wounded six.
In 20 years, more than 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq and spent more than $3 trillion, not counting the losses of allies and mercenaries. On the contrary, the Shiite rulers supported by the United States are getting closer and closer to Iran, and they have issued an expulsion order for the US troops stationed in Iraq. The situation of the US military, both official and civilian, in Iraq is becoming more and more passive, and continuing to station troops in Iraq will only lead to more attacks, which will cost a lot of dollars and lives. Withdrawal has become the only option for U.S. troops.
In fact, the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is a manifestation of the decline of the United States. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have caused the United States to invest a lot of aid, and the confrontation between North and South Korea and the Houthi attack have dispersed the US military forces. The U.S. military is like a firefighter, facing the situation of the best everywhere, it is no longer able to deal with fire extinguishing at the same time.
The United States, which is out of breath, can only withdraw in disgrace.