
Source:
Global Research
Felicity Arbuthnot
First the world was sold imaginary weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq, General Colin Powell, at the United Nations in February 2003,
asserting: “My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by
sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you
are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.”
Now it seems the world is sold a withdrawal from Iraq which was not
quite what it seemed, as presented by the Panetta-Obama-fest in the
Baghdad, Fort Bragg speeches of just six weeks ago. At Fort Bragg: "The
war in Iraq will soon belong to history …” said the President.
Well, not quite.
In an interesting sleight of hand, the State Department, rather than
the Pentagon, is operating a fleet of surveillance drones over Iraq.
In: “ … the latest example of the State Department’s efforts to take
over the functions in Iraq that the military used to perform.”(i)
Further, the near Vatican City sized US Embassy in Baghdad is
protected by five thousand mercenaries and has a further staff of eleven
thousand, a large number, seemingly in a “military advice” capacity,
training Iraqi forces – a nation that, ironically, nine years ago the US
and UK cited as having a military capability not alone a threat “to the
entire region”, but to the West.
Little noticed has been that the State Department has been operating
drones in Iraq since last year. Additionally when “Embassy” staff
travel, they are escorted by helicopters, frequently with machine gun
toting mercenaries “tethered to the outside.” Another Nisour Square
massacre (176h September 2007) waiting to happen.
The Pentagon-operated drones, it seems, went out by the front door and returned through the State Department back door.