One can’t help but notice that neither the Israelis nor the neocons appear to be overly pleased about the recent assassination of Qassem Soleimani. Perhaps, instead of a prelude to war, it was a prelude to the long-overdue withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
The Iraqi parliament called on the government on Sunday to work to end all foreign troop presence as a backlash grew after the killing of a top Iranian military commander and an Iraqi militia leader in a U.S. strike in Baghdad.
A resolution passed by a special session of parliament said the government should cancel its request for assistance from a U.S.-led coalition.
Parliament resolutions, unlike laws, are non-binding to the government. But this one is likely to be heeded: Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had earlier called on parliament to end foreign troop presence as soon as possible.
Remember, the god-emperor seldom does the obvious. So, the obvious explanation for his actions is seldom going to be the correct one. After all, there is no reason to believe this was even an attack by the U.S. military, given the fact that the previous attempt on Soleimani was by someone else.
And one immediate result has been the cessation of offensive actions by the U.S. military:
The US-led coalition has announced it will put most of its operations on hold and focus on ensuring the security of its troops as tensions in the Middle East skyrocket after the death of Iran’s top general at the hands of the US. The coalition will from now on devote most of its efforts to protecting its troops and bases, a coalition spokesman told journalists, adding that most operations against militant groups have been put on hold.