The USA and its supporters, who invaded Iraq for the second time under the pretext of fighting the terrorist organization DAESH, which they created, left the country silently after devastating the country. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi said that the war mission (!) of the invader international coalition has come to an end, and the withdrawal of all its forces and war equipment from Iraq has been completed.
Kazemi thanked the coalition command in the fight against the so-called DAESH, the countries in the coalition and the neighboring and allied countries, and emphasized that the Iraqi forces are ready to protect their people. The Baghdad and Washington administrations agreed in July that combat forces affiliated with the international coalition forces in Iraq would withdraw from the country by the end of the year. On December 9, the coalition and Iraq announced the end of the occupation forces' mission in Iraq and their withdrawal.
THE PROBLEMS AFTER SADDAM ARE NOT FINISHED
Security in Iraq, where stability has not been achieved even though it has been 15 years since the execution of former President Saddam Hussein, political and economic problems continue. Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq from 1979 to 2003, was executed 15 years ago on December 30, 2006. With Saddam's execution, the era of the Baath Party in Iraq came to an end.
With the invasion of Iraq by the invader USA in March 2003, Saddam Hussein disappeared, but it was announced that he was captured by the US soldiers about 8 months later. Published images of Saddam's execution made a lot of noise in those years. Saddam's execution on the morning of Eid-al-Adha also caused controversy. The security turmoil that broke out in the country with the invasion of the USA, which promised to bring democracy and freedom (!) after Saddam, continues. Those who took the seat of power in Iraq after the US occupation did not provide basic public services to the citizens, but also failed to provide political unity.
In Iraq, which was heavily affected by the US occupation in the military field, the army was abolished after 2003. The country's new constitution was written under the US mandate in 2005. In the process, sectarian war broke out among the people for many years. The terrorist organization DAESH captured one-third of the country in its attack in 2014. Although the Iraqi administration announced that it has finished DAESH with a financial loss of 100 billion dollars, DAESH continues to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians.
Corruption in Iraq after Saddam has spread to almost all institutions and deeply shaken the state institution. While none of the incoming US collaborative governments struggled with this corruption, it is known that the largest corruption and bribery purchases after 2003 were made by the parties involved in the government. All these post-Saddam events also prevented the Iraqi people from achieving prosperity.
IRAQ BECOME THE CENTER OF THE US-IRAN CONFLICT
In post-Saddam Iraq, both the military and political influence of Iran, as well as the USA, increased in the country. Increasing rivalry and conflicting interests between the two countries further increased the post-Saddam instability of Iraq. The killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and Hashd al-Shaabi Vice President Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes as a result of an airstrike carried out near Baghdad Airport by USA in January 3, 2020 has made the country almost the center of the US-Iran conflict.
IRAQ INVASION WAS NOT WORTH THE LIVE LOST
Former US Ambassador to Damascus Robert Ford said the 2003 invasion of Iraq was one of the worst foreign policy decisions in US history and the consequences were not worth the thousands of lives lost. Ford, who spoke only for the losses of his own country, did not mention the loss of the Iraqi people, the crippled civilians and the destruction of the country!
Ford commented on the invasion of Iraq that the US launched in 2003 on the grounds of a ‘weapon of mass destruction’.
"Obviously, we didn't find any weapons of mass destruction and I think the strategic gains the Americans made in Iraq that it was not worth the deaths more than 4,500 American soldiers, the serious injury of tens of thousands, and the trillions of dollars in financial costs," Ford said.
Speaking only for the loss of his own country, Ford made no mention of the loss of the Iraqi people, the maimed civilians and the destruction of the country. According to the ambassador, during the operation, the effects of which are felt even today, the United States also took a major blow against its credibility on the international stage.
“I think it is reasonable to say that the 2003 decision to go to war in Iraq was one of the worst foreign policy decisions in US history,” the ambassador added.