Trump continues US oil war in Iraq

This video says about itself:

Repost of a facebook compilation video of Donald Trump quotes about ‘taking Iraqi oil’ by Abizaid N. Alqassier published on Arabic language social media in November 2016.

By Bill Van Auken in the USA:

Trump stages visit to Iraq amid mounting crisis over Syria troop withdrawal

27 December 2018

US President Donald Trump staged a surprise visit to an American airbase in western Iraq Wednesday in what appeared to be an attempt to both mollify intense criticism within the military-intelligence apparatus of his decision to pull troops out of Syria, and to reassert his commitment to continued US military operations in the Middle East.

The decision to withdraw the 2,000-plus US troops operating illegally inside Syria was announced on December 19, with the Pentagon confirming on Sunday that an “execute order” for the withdrawal had been issued. The White House has also unveiled plans to pull out half of the US troops currently deployed in Afghanistan. …

Interspersed with this populist and nationalist demagogy, however, was a clear message that the Trump administration has no intention of abandoning the US quest for hegemony over the oil-rich Middle East. He stressed that he had “no plans at all” to pull roughly 6,000 US [soldiers] out of Iraq.

En route to Iraq, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the US may use Iraq as a platform for launching strikes and raids against Syria after the American troops are withdrawn.

While Trump had reportedly been scheduled to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi during his brief visit to Iraq, Abdul-Mahdi failed to appear, with his office citing “differences in points of view over arrangements.” In Baghdad, the head of one of the main blocs in the Iraqi parliament called for an emergency session of the legislature to discuss Trump’s unannounced visit, calling it a “blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

“The American occupation of Iraq is over”, said the legislator, Sabah al-Saidi, adding that Trump could not be allowed to act “as if Iraq is a state of the United States.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that Trump also met with senior military officers in Iraq, claiming that, “The generals and President Trump came up with a powerful plan that will allow us to continue our path to total victory.” …

Turkey may move into the [north Syria] area now, routing Washington’s former proxy forces, the Syrian Kurds, while denying Damascus control over Syria’s vital resources.

At the same time, there are reports that military officers from Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been sent into the region with the task of mobilizing Sunni Islamist militias to counter the Syrian government’s bid to reassert control. In this effort, the murderous regime-change operation in Syria may be brought full circle, with ISIS, the supposed target of US military operations, being rebranded as Syrian “rebels” deserving of US aid and support.

Trump’s buffoonish performance in Iraq carried one serious message: With or without troops in Syria, the decades-long US war for hegemony in the Middle East goes on: here.

TRUMP LIES TO TROOPS SERVING IN IRAQ During his first visit to a combat zone since assuming office nearly two years ago, Trump took credit for giving a “10 percent” pay raise to the troops that never happened. [HuffPost]

IRAQI LEADERS SLAM TRUMP VISIT Iraqi leaders condemned Trump’s surprise visit to U.S. troops, calling it a violation of the country’s sovereignty. The Iraqi government also said a meeting between Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was canceled due to a disagreement over the venue. [Reuters]