Iraq bans all unauthorized US flights in the country

(August 17) The US-led coalition in Iraq has issued a statement indicating that they intend to comply with demands from the PM Adel AbdulMahdi respecting the use of Iraqi airspace for US warplanes.

Iraq calls for an end to all US unauthorized flights

The Iraqi Prime Minister called for an end to any unauthorized flights whether by drone, spy planes, jets, or helicopters. He warned that all planes in operating in Iraqi airspace must comply with Iraqi law, under Iraqi government direction.

The US says it will comply with the Iraqi demand

A recent article notes: "The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq says it will comply with new orders issued by the country's prime minister regarding unauthorized flights in Iraqi airspace.In a statement Friday, it says that as guests of the Iraqi government, the coalition complies with all Iraqi laws and direction from the government."

Iraq increasingly annoyed with the US

Iraq maintains close ties with Iran but the US is hostile to Iran and is pressuring Iraq to loosen or even cut ties with Iran. The US has moved many forces into the area including into Saudi Arabia.

Iraq parliament was to vote on expelling US troops

Trump made a surprise visit to Iraq late last December stirring up such anger that the Iraq parliament was to vote on expelling the US: "Iraqi lawmakers have demanded US forces leave the country in the wake of a surprise visit by Donald Trump, which politicians denounced as arrogant and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Politicians from both blocs of Iraq’s divided parliament called for a vote to expel US troops and promised to schedule an extraordinary session to debate the matter.“Parliament must clearly and urgently express its view about the ongoing American violations of Iraqi sovereignty,” said Salam al-Shimiri, a lawmaker loyal to the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr." I can find no news results as to what happened or if the vote even took place. What the Iraq parliament does appears not to be of much interest to mainstream media.

Although US troops were withdrawn in December of 20011 they have returned since to battle ISIS: "In January 2019, Secretary Pompeo put the number of U.S. troops in Iraq at approximately 5,000."

Given the hostility to the US presence the Iraqi PM probably felt that he needed to do something to show that he could bring the US under Iraqi control. A recent article notes some of the events that may have precipitated the action: "The ban follows a series of mysterious explosions at military bases in Iraq that some unconfirmed reports said were a result of airstrikes." See the appended video.

Perhaps Iraq will demand that the remaining US forces in Iraq get out.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Iraqis angry at Trump travel ban

(January 27) Iraqi MPs say that it is very likely the Iraqi government will respond to the executive order banning all Iraqis from visiting the U.S. for 30 days by initiating a retaliatory ban on Americans wanting to visit Iraq.

While all of Iraq is upset by the ban, Iraqi Kurdistan is particularly incensed as they have been trying to forge business ties with U.S. businesses. Some analysts warn that retaliation might rile up the Trump administration and warned that a mutual ban could hurt Iraq much more than it would the U.S. On the other hand, it might gain Iraqi politicians some needed public support for standing up to Trump. The Kurds are particularly angry since they have supported the U.S. for years.

When he first began to campaign for president Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States". The country needed to "figure out what was going on". Later during his campaign he altered the policy to a suspension of "immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur". He has made good on that promise. In addition to Iraq the ban applies to Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. Missing from the list are several Muslim-majority countries where Trump has businesses. An article in Fortune shows a map of the countries black-listed in the Middle East and those not. Those not listed include Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the home of many 9/11 terrorists.

The draft order was titled ‘Protecting the nation from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals.," and states that: “The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those approved for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to terrorism.” The order says that the U.S. cannot allow those into the U.S. who are hostile to it or who place violent religious edicts over U.S. law. The order is for at least 30 days until the government is able to review and tighten immigrant screening processes. Renas Jano, a member of the foreign relations committee in the Iraqi parliament said: “There is mutual treatment between Iraq and the U.S. in terms of diplomatic relations and visa issuance. It is very likely that Iraq might suspend issuing visas to U.S. citizens following the U.S. president’s decision to suspend visas to Iraqi citizens.” However, Jano also noted that Iraq had a lot to lose if it started a fight with the U.S.: “If Iraq responds the same way to Trump’s decision by suspending visas to U.S. citizens, we will lose a lot, as there is a big American force here helping us in our war against ISIS. In addition, there are many U.S. diplomats and business people here. The decision will also disfavor Iraqi students too.”

In the Kurdish region people on the street expressed anger to reporters. In Erbil a man in his sixties said: "The Peshmerga have been fighting terror and making sacrifices in this way. Is this the reward? Calling us terrorists? In fact, they brought terror to this country They have to separate the Kurdistan Region from this decision as many people will be damaged due to this decree." Another Kurdistani Osman Rauf Osman said: "This problem has to be solved through diplomatic talks. If the Iraqi government takes such measures, the U.S. will stay away from us and this certainly will not be in favor of the Kurdistan Region at this critical time." However Hemn Maghdid said that U.S. visas were already difficult to get. He said that he thought the move was pre-planned but would not last long.

U.S. military has used white phosphorus in Iraq against the Islamic State

Pictures and videos posted online by the Pentagon show that the United States is using white phosphorus munitiions in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

While the use of white phosphorus munitions is not banned, they should only be used in areas with no civilians and even the use against combatants is questionable as it causes horrible burns. The phosphorus shells can be used to make smoke screens or as signals for advancing troops. Photos on a Pentagon-managed public affairs website show a U.S. artillery unit in Iraq using white phosphorus munitions, M825A1 155mm rounds. The shell is able to create an effective smokescreen lasting about 10 minutes. There are 116 felt wedges in the shell that are impregnated with the white phosphorus. When they come in contact with the air they automatically ignite.

Col. Joseph Scrocca the public affairs director the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq claimed that the rounds are used for "screening and signaling". Scrocca claims the use of the shells is always in conformity to the Law of Armed Conflict on areas known to be free of civilians and not against enemy forces. Scrocca's statement was somewat revised by Air Force Col. John Dorrian when he commented on the photo:“In the foreground of the photo are 155mm white phosphorous rounds, which are used for screening, obscuring, and marking. When U.S. forces use these munitions, as required by the Law of Armed Conflict, they do so in a way that fully considers possible incidental effects on civilians and civilian structures,” Dorrian said in an email. “The U.S. military takes all reasonable precautions to minimize the risk of incidental injury to non-combatants and damage to civilian structures.”When asked if they had been used for other purposes, Dorrian said only that the munitiions were "used generally for the circumstances which I described." He did not say how many times the munitions had been used or if they had been dropped on enemy fighters or their equipment.

Dorrian said the photo had been taken during a 48-operation called Evergreen II involving 2,000 Kurdish fighters who were to take control of a bridge over a river in the town of Gwer. The white phosphorus was used to obscure the movement of the Kurdish forces. Islamic State forces were on the opposite side of the river. Dorian could not say if the rounds were used against Islamic State positions away from the town, or even if they had been used in the town.

This is not the first time the U.S. has used white phosphorus munitions in Iraq. The munitions were extensively used in the battle of Fallujah as described in Wikipedia:On November 9, 2005 the Italian state-run broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana S.p.A. aired a documentary titled "Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre", alleging that the United States used white phosphorus as a weapon in Fallujah causing insurgents and civilians to be killed or injured by chemical burns. The filmmakers further claimed that the United States used incendiary MK-77 bombs in violation of Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Mark Hiznay, the associate arms director for Human Rights said that he was concerned about the possible use of white phosphorus munitions in the campaign to retake Mosul from the IS:“When white phosphorus is used in attacks in areas containing concentrations of civilians and civilian objects, it will indiscriminately start fires over a wide area. U.S. and Iraqi forces should refrain from using white phosphorus in urban areas like Mosul because whatever tactical military advantage is gained at the time of use, it will be far outweighed by the stigma created by horrific burns to civilian victims.”

NATO has also used the munitions in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia has also used the munitions in the war in Yemen,

Iraq: U.S. helicopter makes emerency landing in metro Baghdad

   When a U.S. helicopter landed beside the Tigris River in metro Baghdad residents immediately thought that  a U.S. military operation was under way in spite of the facts that all troops are supposedly gone. One person was injured in the rough landing that was caused by technical problems.
   Although all troops are withdrawn some actually are still working for the U.S. embassy a virtual city in itself on the outskirts of Baghdad. There are also thousands of armed private contractors who work for the State Dept. still present in Iraq.
   Iraq is still plagued by insecurity with bombings and violence still common. The situation is aggravated by the policies of the Maliki government which is supported both by Iran and the U.S. Maliki seems engaged in a campaign to purge rivals particularly Sunnis. He has had many politicians arrested and charged his Sunni vice-president with supporting terrorism as well. The future looks dim unless Maliki makes deals with his opponents rather than trying to suppress them as he is doing now. For more see this article.