UPDATED: Trump wants to keep troops in Iraq to 'watch' Iran

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill


BY BRETT SAMUELS - 02/03/19 08:17 AM EST

President Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he plans to keep U.S. troops in Iraq to monitor Iran.

"All I want to do is be able to watch," Trump said on "Face the Nation" on CBS. "We have an unbelievable and expensive military base built in Iraq. It's perfectly situated for looking at all over different parts of the troubled Middle East rather than pulling up.

"And this is what a lot of people don't understand," he continued. "We're going to keep watching and we're going to keep seeing and if there's trouble, if somebody is looking to do nuclear weapons or other things, we're going to know it before they do."

Trump has long criticized America's involvement in Iraq, describing it on "Face the Nation" as "one of the greatest mistakes that we've ever made."

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/428226-trump-wants-to-keep-troops-in-iraq-to-watch-iran

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UPDATE:

Trump: Military intervention in Venezuela an 'option'

BY KYLE BALLUCK - 02/03/19 08:26 AM EST

President Trump in an interview broadcast Sunday said U.S. military intervention in crisis-torn Venezuela is an “option.”

“Well I don't want to say that,” he told host Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation” when asked about military intervention and any national security interest.

“But certainly it's something that's on the - it's an option,” he added.

The also said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro requested a meeting “a number of months ago” and Trump turned it down.

“I decided at the time, ‘no’ because so many really horrible things have been happening in Venezuela when you look at that country," he said.

more
https://thehill.com/policy/international/428227-trump-military-intervention-in-venezuela-an-option

[watoos]

1. Is Trump saying,

that our troops in Iraq can see Iran from their base?

[underpants]

3. Yes!

[McKim]

2. Iraq Was Supposed to be the Stepping Stone

Iraq was supposed to be the stepping stone for the Neocon War on Iran. But the anti war movement and sentiment was so strong and the War on Iraq so complicated and difficult that Iran seemed out of reach for them. I hope that Trump will soon be so weakened that he will not have the popular support for a disastrous War on Iran. He so needs the coup in Venezuela and a new war to distract from his crimes.

[underpants]

4. So, our troops are like Russian whores in a Moscow hotel?

"All I want to do is watch"

[OnlinePoker]

13. Piss on that. n/t

[Submariner]

5. Bush lost both revenge wars in the 2004-2007 time frame

so after kicking those turds down the road for Obama to clean up, the Iran invasion became less likely.

[watoos]

6. Yeah, I know about PNAC,

but it was the Petraeus surge where we chose sides. We chose Sunni over Shia. We paid Sunnis to kill Shias.
Right wing Israel and Saudi Arabia have formed a pac to get us to invade Iran. They even tried the false flag operation pretending that Assad gassed his own people. The war in Syria to oust Assad was all about hurting Iran. Putin stepped in and put a wrench in the gears. Now that Putin has his puppet in Trump we are withdrawing our troops from Syria. Putin must have some really big sh!t on Trump for Trump to go against the wishes of Bibi and Saudi Arabia.

[Mosby]

14. assad did gas his own people, multiple times

That's according to the United Nations.

[Historic NY]

7. I guess our eyes in the sky can't do it.

If he even believes we have them.

[tanyev]

8. So send Sarah Palin over there. Pretty sure she's not doing anything right now.

[Canoe52]

9. +1

[milestogo]

10. He should send troops to Alaska to watch Russia.

Put Sarah Palin in charge.

[Homer Wells]

12. Yup

And she can even work from home, since she can see Russia from her front porch.

[Harker]

11. Right.

Hard to believe that he'd pay attention to whatever intelligence info comes from "watching" anybody.

He's trying to sound like a real president, and failing miserably.

[JohnnyRingo]

15. Build a wall with slats so we can see what's going on

I think I see a theme here.

[Eugene]

16. Iraqi president says Trump did not ask permission to 'watch Iran'

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS FEBRUARY 4, 2019 / 1:54 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Iraqi president says Trump did not ask permission to 'watch Iran'

Ahmed Aboulenein, John Davison
2 MIN READ

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Monday that President Donald Trump did not ask Iraq’s permission for U.S. troops stationed there to “watch Iran.”

Speaking at a forum in Baghdad, Salih was responding to a question about Trump’s comments to CBS about how he would ask troops stationed in Iraq to “watch” Iran.

U.S. troops in Iraq are there as part of an agreement between the two countries with a specific mission of combating terrorism, Salih said, and that they should stick to that.

Trump said it was important to keep a U.S. military presence in Iraq so that Washington can keep a close eye on Iran “because Iran is a real problem,” according to a CBS interview broadcast on Sunday.

“Don’t overburden Iraq with your own issues,” Salih said. “The U.S. is a major power ... but do not pursue your own policy priorities, we live here.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-iraq/iraqi-president-says-trump-did-not-ask-permission-to-watch-iran-idUSKCN1PT0E4

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

17. Does Iraq want us there?