Airstrike highlights need to leave Iraq

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 26, 2021
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org

WASHINGTON, DC—Yesterday, the U.S. conducted an airstrike against militia targets in Syria, a retaliatory move in response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:

“The U.S. strikes in Syria highlight the danger of keeping U.S. troops in Iraq. Whether or not the strikes convince militias in Iraq to stop attacking U.S. bases, they carry risk of escalation—to wider war in Iraq or with Iran. And they protect forces without a clear mission. There is no war still worth fighting in Iraq.

“Proponents argue these retaliatory U.S. strikes could deter further rocket attacks, but the recent attack in Erbil demonstrates U.S. forces remain susceptible to rockets after countless prior tit-for-tat strikes. The best way to protect U.S. forces is to remove them from Iraq, and for that matter, Syria. With other forces capable of mopping up ISIS remnants, U.S. forces have no clear mission.”