For the first time since Saddam, Iraqi troops cross border
A video has shown Iraqi troops crossing the borders toward the city of Al-Yarubiya in northeastern Syria. After a silence that lasted for around 24 hours, the Iraqi government admitted it was true. Its excuse, however, was that the war in Syria along the borders has reached Iraqi areas. This is not a convincing excuse since the fighting occurred in the city of Yarubiya itself. This city is the gateway which Iraq uses to smuggle goods and facilitate Iran's exports to aid the Syrian regime troops. This reminds us of what toppled President Saddam Hussein did when he sent his troops to Iran on the pretext of securing Iraqi territory and then ended up sending troops to occupy Kuwait._The entrance of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's forces into Syria expanded war in Syria. It transformed from a proxy war into a direct one to aid the forces of Assad's regime which has been living through an ordeal for 20 months.
A war expanding on Syrian soil is now taking place in the region. There is Assad's entire army, security forces and militias that are supported by forces from Iran and thousands of Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon in addition to Russian experts and consultants. With Al-Maliki's troops entering the border to aid Assad's forces to maintain control of the border city of Yarubiya, we are confronting a big regional war. Al-Maliki has recently joined it. He has recently increased his justifications for doing so by vowing that he will not allow the fall of Assad regime and saying that he informed the Americans that Assad's regime will not fall.
These extremist parties, Iran, Iraq and Hezbollah, have united for the first time in a war like this! A clear war against the Syrian people. Other than receiving refugees, whose number has reached half a million, neighboring countries have not done anything to attempt helping the majority which has been targeted by this war for around 20 months.
The new and dangerous development is Al-Maliki's involvement in the war this week. His new move makes it clear why he was giving speeches to pave the way for sending troops under the excuse that the fall of Syrian regime will threaten Iraq.
The truth is, Al-Maliki is exaggerating. Iraq faces more danger if it engages in war than if it remains neutral. As to why Maliki is involving Iraq in the war that has erupted since the fall of Saddam's regime, the reason is clear: He has become a puppet of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards which is waging the war in Syria and defending Assad's regime. Al-Maliki is like Hezbollah chief in Lebanon. He is obliged to support Iran's number one ally, Bashar Assad, because the Iranians have enough power to eliminate or appoint leaders in Iraq and in Hezbollah.
Al-Maliki has been secretly supporting Iranian efforts in Syria for the past two years by sending fuel, funds and arms to Assad's regime. He allowed the Iranians to send fighters and weapons through Iraqi air space and land. The last American official statement showed Washington's disappointment over the actions of its old ally Al-Maliki. "We have several times informed the Iraqi government that we object to Iranian flights via Iraqi air space, and we have voiced our suspicions (that these airplanes) carry weapons but the Iraqi government (which pledged to search them) has searched airplanes only two times in October." Maliki has currently become like Hassan Nasrallah. He cannot but obey the influential Iranian Revolutionary Guards which does not hesitate to commit crimes to carry out its threats. This is a topic I will discuss in another article.
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