24 Apr 2024
Monday 9 May 2016 - 10:12
Story Code : 213060

US military fights for its reputation among Iraqi population

Ten years after US troops took down Saddam Hussein and two years after the US-led coalition started its operation against Daesh in Iraq, Iraqis are still disinclined to believe the US is on their side.

With some 65 states (numbers may vary), and more than5,000 airstrikes, the US-led coalition againstDaesh displayed less-than-stellar results. Compared tothe success oftaking downSaddam Hussein, then-leader ofIraq, intwo weeks, current military operation raises more questions thangives answers.

According toreports, Iraqi people still can't get their head aroundthe fact that US is actually fighting Daesh, withsome openly accusing the US ofaiding it. While reported proofs vary, fromdiscovering US boots and uniforms onDaesh troops and territory tocases ofdropping shipments onenemy territory, the inability ofsuch massive coalition todecisively wipe outa group oflow-tech belligerents summons confusion that spreads acrossIraqi population.
There are a number ofvideos uploaded tothe Web that show American supplies found amongDaesh forces. These include uniforms, boots and US military MREs (standard issue army meals). Such merchandise can be purchased legally and should not be seriously considered asa proof ofAmerican involvement inDaesh operations. The weapons, however, is a more serious issue, especially when it comes toheavier armaments, such asanti-tank missiles Daesh fighters used todestroy Russian rescue helicopter inSyria. US-made weapons, ammo and other supplies have been reportedly dropped overthe militant-held territory, causing Daesh's adversaries tobelieve that the US deliberately assists the terrorist organization.


With this inmind, Atheer al-Tariq, spokesman ofal-Ahad TV Channel, asks if it is "logical tobelieve that America, the source oftechnology and science, could fire a rocket or drop aid materials ina mistaken way?"


The US military advertised its precision airborne warfare foryears, butapparently it still fails toprecisely target its supply drops.


The efforts ofthe US-coalition tochange the tide ofwar onDaesh are so unimpressive toIraqis that it summons beliefs that the US fights Daesh withone hand and support it withanother. Many view the coalition's true intentions as "destabilizing" Iraq, providing a constant level ofchaos forboth oil resources control and constant demand onweapons shipment.


And now the US struggles toconvince Iraqis they are the good guys. According toUS Army Colonel Steve Warren, the coalition spokesman, "The Iranians have something tosay every day, the Russian have something tosay every day, ISIL has something tosay every single day, so we need tomake sure that this coalition and this Iraqi government is also saying something every day."


In their search forsomething tosay every day, the coalition information fighters resorted toclaims that US oil interests inIraq are "rumors" and "conspiracy theory". Instead, they measure their involvement inmoney, with $7 billion being the number ofexpenditures forthe operation since2014. While this number can be impressive, there is little information abouthow effective these expenditures turned out, asit is very important tochoose the right weapon againstsuch an elusive enemy asDaesh (or any other militant group). There are numbers ofpitiful examples when poor choice ofweapons cost states dear, both inhuman losses and money.


Now the US must fight not only the belligerents outin the desert, they also have tospend time, money and efforts tofight bad reputation and rumors they didn't exactly strived toprevent inthe first place.


By Sputnik
https://theiranproject.com/vdcb0fb5grhb8gp.4eur.html
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