By Geoff LaMear
Two drone attacks targeted U.S. troops in Iraq on Monday and Tuesday, marking the 2-year anniversary of the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The United States responded by targeting sites in Syria which had conducted rocket attacks. This comes as the U.S. and Israel posture to attack Iran as a Plan B if nuclear talks fail. These developments could bring about a new tit-for-tat cycle of escalation, the last of which produced over 100 American injuries.
But rather than falling into the same cycle that has endangered the service members it was meant to protect, the United States can simply recognize the futility and unnecessary risks of its presence in Iraq.
This piece was originally published in Task & Purpose on January 7, 2022. Read more HERE.