After 18 years in Iraq, bring troops home

On March 19, 2003, the U.S. launched an invasion of Iraq.

Eighteen years later, U.S. troops are still in Iraq. The Pentagon says the number is 2,500. No way to verify that. Lots of U.S. contractors there too. Why are we there? The rotation of reasons resembles a roulette wheel, with the last one being to prevent a resurgence of ISIS.

In response to an attack in Irbil on Feb. 15, which killed one U.S. contractor, we launched attacks with seven 500 -pound bombs on a Shiite militia base in Syria, the same militia which helped defeat ISIS a few years ago. But the attack on the militia was a great opportunity to blame Iran, whom we blamed for the death of the contractor in Irbil.

We have spent trillions in the last 18 years on our war in Iraq. Over 4,000 U.S. military members have died, and hundreds of thousands more suffer from PTSD and TBI. We have killed several hundred thousand Iraqis and decimated Iraqi infrastructure. It is time to end our military presence in Iraq. It seems our only purpose there is to have U.S. personnel there as sitting ducks, so when they get attacked, we can escalate our pressure on Iran.

Our invasion of Iraq in 2003 was based on lies. Our continued military presence there serves no useful purpose for Iraq or the United States. This is not a partisan issue, just an issue of common sense and humanity. Support the troops, bring them home.

Ed Flaherty

Iowa City

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