The Iraqi government declares June 30th a national public holiday and plans grand festivities to mark the U.S. troops withdrawal in major cities across the nation. While many Iraqis view this as the return of sovereignty, critics are worried about a possible rise of insurgent attacks when the American forces have gone.
We’re bringing you analysis from both sides of viewpoints in the controversy over the U.S. troop withdrawal in 6-year Iraq War.
Iraq’s
Alsumaria sattellite TV gives a cautiously optimistic perspective about the withdrawal.
“Iraqis live an amalgam of feelings combining pride on one hand and challenge on the other. The challenge of how to handle the situation in face of a promising secure and prosper future that seems to loom after years of distress and agony.”
But
the Guardian’s correspondent in Baghdad points out a major improvement he has seen over years in the situations in Iraq- signaling hope.
“What we’re seeing, though, is something we didn’t see throughout the dark years of 2005 -2007 and that’s the police force, in particular, that the public can trust. In those dark years, we’ve seen a lot of sectarian killings orchestrated by either former members of the police force or people in police uniforms. We’re not seeing that anymore.”
Al Jazeera English brings in a different perspective from a city that will still see the presence of the American troops. The network finds out the reasons for the need from a top U.S. commander…
“… an effort, in large part, he says, to keep many otherwise unemployed people here, roughly 60-80% of the population from joining armed groups fighting to push U.S. troops out. ‘The only way you have to provide for your family is to get paid 50 dollars to throw a hand grenade. That’s what you’re going to do.’”
Finally, a
Foreign Policy columnist downplays speculations on the surge of the attacks and explains why people shouldn’t overreact.
“Such surges were expected (and sometimes seen) around every previous major Iraqi milestone… Those attacks feel particularly jarring now [because] the baseline violence is far calmer …, so the uptick is more dramatic.”
Do you think Iraqis should be celebrating now that the American troops are on the way out? Or should they be worried?
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