Iraq Reverts

[heironymouspasparagus]

2). I don't understand how a country that was invaded without a followup plan could possibly be in shambles.  1) step one: invade, destroy infrastructure and social order, disband all security forces and disallow participation of anyone with leadership experience, rebuild artificial line drawn country as a democracy and gtfo as fast as possible.  2) step two:  ?   3) step 3: success.

About step 3....Bush DID declare MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!  In all caps....



Like one of my favorite phrases, "Declare victory and leave the field..."

[Gaspar]

Letter from the president to the speaker:
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Starting on June 15, 2014, up to approximately 275 U.S. Armed Forces personnel are deploying to Iraq to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. This force is deploying for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property, if necessary, and is equipped for combat. This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.

This action has been directed consistent with my responsibility to protect U.S. citizens both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.

I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in these actions.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama

Perhaps they will not be wearing any boots?

[DolfanBob]

I have always wondered where other Countries Embassies were located here in the U.S. This is a great link to find out where all of them are World wide. Pretty cool site.

http://www.embassyworld.com/

[heironymouspasparagus]

Letter from the president to the speaker:
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Starting on June 15, 2014, up to approximately 275 U.S. Armed Forces personnel are deploying to Iraq to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. This force is deploying for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property, if necessary, and is equipped for combat. This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.

This action has been directed consistent with my responsibility to protect U.S. citizens both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.

I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in these actions.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama

Perhaps they will not be wearing any boots?

Sounds familiar.... a lot like how Viet Nam started.  All over again.

[Cats Cats Cats]

Why hasn't anybody mentioned Bush signed a treaty with Iraq to have all the troops out by the end of 2011?

[Hoss]

Why hasn't anybody mentioned Bush signed a treaty with Iraq to have all the troops out by the end of 2011?

Where would the fun be in that?  I mean, come on!  Facts?  Pshaw!

I'm enjoying watching the hand-wringing.

[Conan71]

Why hasn't anybody mentioned Bush signed a treaty with Iraq to have all the troops out by the end of 2011?

So Obama can take credit for pulling the troops out of Iraq, silly!

[Townsend]

This all blows.  It doesn't matter who's work it is. 

[guido911]

So Obama can take credit for pulling the troops out of Iraq, silly!

[guido911]

[Gaspar]

ISIS has seized one of Saddam's chemical weapons storage and production facilities.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10910868/Iraq-crisis-Obama-may-launch-air-strikes-without-Congress-amid-calls-for-Maliki-to-go-live.html

17.09 Chemical weapons produced at the Al Muthanna facility, which Isis today seized, are believed to have included mustard gas, Sarin, Tabun, and VX.

Here is the CIA's file on the complex.
Quote Stockpiles of chemical munitions are still stored there. The most dangerous ones have been declared to the UN and are sealed in bunkers.
Although declared, the bunkers contents have yet to be confirmed.
These areas of the compound pose a hazard to civilians and potential blackmarketers.
Numerous bunkers, including eleven cruciform shaped bunkers were exploited. Some of the bunkers were empty. Some of the bunkers contained large quantitiesof unfilled chemical munitions, conventional munitions, one-ton shipping containers, old disabled production equipment (presumed disabled under UNSCOM supervision), and other hazardous industrial chemicals.

17.05 The Chemical Weapons Convention, which Iraq joined in 2009, requires it to dispose of the material at Al Muthanna, even though it was declared unusable and "does not pose a significant security risk"
However, the UK goverment has acknowledgeded that the nature of the material contained in the two bunkers would make the destruction process difficult and technically challenging.
Under an agreement signed in Baghdad in July 2012, experts from the MOD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) were due to provide training to Iraqi personnel in order to help them to dispose of the chemical munitions and agents.
The Al Mutannah chemical weapons complex (CIA)
16.52 The remaining chemical weapons from Saddam Hussein's regime are stored in two sealed bunkers, both located at the Al Muthanna Chemicals Weapons Complex, a large site in the western desert some 80km north west of Baghdad.
This was the principal manufacturing plant for both chemical agents and munitions during Saddam Hussein's rule.
Thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons were produced, stored and deployed by the Saddam Hussein regime. Iraq used these weapons during the Iran - Iraq War (1980 to 1988) and against the Kurds in Halabja in 1988.

16.32 Isis jihadists have seized a chemical weapons facility built by Saddam Hussein which contains a stockpile of old weapons, State Department officials have told the Wall Street Journal:
Quote U.S. officials don't believe the Sunni militants will be able to create a functional chemical weapon from the material. The weapons stockpiled at the Al Muthanna complex are old, contaminated and hard to move, officials said.
Nonetheless, the capture of the chemical-weapon stockpile by the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS or ISIL, the militant group that is seizing territory in the country, has grabbed the attention of the U.S.

I'm not sure why this is still there?  In fact, I thought this didn't exist?

[heironymouspasparagus]

ISIS has seized one of Saddam's chemical weapons storage and production facilities.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10910868/Iraq-crisis-Obama-may-launch-air-strikes-without-Congress-amid-calls-for-Maliki-to-go-live.html

17.09 Chemical weapons produced at the Al Muthanna facility, which Isis today seized, are believed to have included mustard gas, Sarin, Tabun, and VX.

Here is the CIA's file on the complex.
Quote Stockpiles of chemical munitions are still stored there. The most dangerous ones have been declared to the UN and are sealed in bunkers.
Although declared, the bunkers contents have yet to be confirmed.
These areas of the compound pose a hazard to civilians and potential blackmarketers.
Numerous bunkers, including eleven cruciform shaped bunkers were exploited. Some of the bunkers were empty. Some of the bunkers contained large quantitiesof unfilled chemical munitions, conventional munitions, one-ton shipping containers, old disabled production equipment (presumed disabled under UNSCOM supervision), and other hazardous industrial chemicals.

17.05 The Chemical Weapons Convention, which Iraq joined in 2009, requires it to dispose of the material at Al Muthanna, even though it was declared unusable and "does not pose a significant security risk"
However, the UK goverment has acknowledgeded that the nature of the material contained in the two bunkers would make the destruction process difficult and technically challenging.
Under an agreement signed in Baghdad in July 2012, experts from the MOD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) were due to provide training to Iraqi personnel in order to help them to dispose of the chemical munitions and agents.
The Al Mutannah chemical weapons complex (CIA)
16.52 The remaining chemical weapons from Saddam Hussein's regime are stored in two sealed bunkers, both located at the Al Muthanna Chemicals Weapons Complex, a large site in the western desert some 80km north west of Baghdad.
This was the principal manufacturing plant for both chemical agents and munitions during Saddam Hussein's rule.
Thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons were produced, stored and deployed by the Saddam Hussein regime. Iraq used these weapons during the Iran - Iraq War (1980 to 1988) and against the Kurds in Halabja in 1988.

16.32 Isis jihadists have seized a chemical weapons facility built by Saddam Hussein which contains a stockpile of old weapons, State Department officials have told the Wall Street Journal:
Quote U.S. officials don't believe the Sunni militants will be able to create a functional chemical weapon from the material. The weapons stockpiled at the Al Muthanna complex are old, contaminated and hard to move, officials said.
Nonetheless, the capture of the chemical-weapon stockpile by the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS or ISIL, the militant group that is seizing territory in the country, has grabbed the attention of the U.S.

I'm not sure why this is still there?  In fact, I thought this didn't exist?

Edited;

Guess you will just have to ask Daddy Bush - Raygun - he is the one that supplied all that stuff to Saddam Hussein -to give them some "toys" to use against Iran~  You do remember the history, don't you??

Added;

And Daddy Bush kept supplying things right up until the point Hussein invaded Kuwait - a "misunderstanding" by Hussein that we were "inviting" him to take back that part of Iraq that was taken from them earlier....

Well, we can't really expect to learn anything from history, can we....?

[Conan71]

I heard on the news driving in this morning that Obama is saying if the situation escalates, we might do some air strikes.

I figured cities falling to militants was pretty much the definition of "escalation".  It's only a matter of time before Baghdad falls.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Guess you will just have to ask Daddy Bush - he is the one that supplied all that stuff to Saddam Hussein -to give them some "toys" to use against Iran~  You do remember the history, don't you??

Well, we can't really expect to learn anything from history, can we....?

Iran/Iraq war was 1980 to 1988, so it was Ronald Reagan.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Iran/Iraq war was 1980 to 1988, so it was Ronald Reagan.

See edited post above...