Iraq Objects to U. S. Protecting Its Embassy Personnel in Baghdad; Claims Violation of Iraqi Sovereignty

Really Iraq, Just What Do You Thinks Has Been Going On For the Last Ten Years With Respect to Your Soveriegnty?

Iraq is a dangerous place to be if you are an American.  Heck, it’s a dangerous place to be if you are an Iraqi. The U. S. Army has left the country, sort of (we left behind a whole bunch of “contractors” which is political speak for “mercenaries”. )

When embassy personnel move throughout the country, small helicopters buzz over the convoys to provide support in case of an attack. Often, two contractors armed with machine guns are tethered to the outside of the helicopters. 

 And the U. S. diplomatic mission and other agencies like aid organizations are largely confined to a highly protected “green” zone.  But the danger still abounds, so the U. S. has taken the eminently intelligent step of using unmanned surveillance aircraft to help protect Americans.

The State Department drones, by contrast, carry no weapons and are meant to provide data and images of possible hazards, like public protests or roadblocks, to security personnel on the ground, American officials said. They are much smaller than armed drones, with wingspans as short as 18 inches, compared with 55 feet for the Predators.

But the Iraqi government is upset by this, they claim the U. S. is violating their airspace.

Some senior Iraqi officials expressed outrage at the program, saying the unarmed aircraft are an affront to Iraqi sovereignty.

But the message from here to the Iraqi government is clear and unambiguous. 

Your job, Iraq, is to protect your people and protect the diplomatic missions of other countries that have embassies in your country.  Once you can do this there will be no need for unmanned drones to violate your airspace.

See, that’s not so hard, is it.