High costs may be behind the withdrawal of the Patriots from Iraq: $3 million to shoot down a $200 p

[size=52]High costs may be behind the withdrawal of the Patriots from Iraq: $3 million to shoot down a $200 plane![/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]More than one “scenario” has been put forward about the reasons for Washington's intention to withdraw the famous Patriot missile system from Iraq and other countries, including the high costs of the system and a new Iranian-American agreement. The event came at a time when the country recorded new attacks against US forces at a military base in western Anbar.[/size]
[size=45]So far, there is no official acknowledgment from Baghdad of the presence of the US defense system on Iraqi soil, except for what the previous government said that it "rejected Washington's request to deploy the Patriot." Western newspapers said that the administration of US President Joe Biden is in the process of withdrawing anti-Patriot missile batteries from countries in the Middle East, such as Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.[/size]
[size=45]A security source in Anbar told Al-Mada that "the Patriots in Ain Al-Assad did not succeed in repelling the repeated attacks by the factions" on the base, which houses the largest number of US forces.[/size]
[size=45]Last May, a “booby-trapped” drone fell on the Ain al-Assad base, and a government statement said it caused no damage.[/size]
[size=45]But the security source, who asked not to be named, said that "the plane that crashed caused damage to the Patriot system."[/size]
[size=45]Recently, the armed factions in Iraq began to combine the "Katyusha" method with the Yemeni method by sending drones to target military installations.[/size]
[size=45]The source speculates that material calculations of “profit and loss” are behind Washington’s decision to withdraw the “Patriot,” adding, “One missile costs 3 million dollars, while the manufacture of the bombed plane does not exceed 200 dollars.”[/size]
[size=45]Patriot missiles operate under the guidance of radar to shoot down attacking missiles and aircraft, and their speed reaches five times the speed of sound.[/size]
[size=45]Is there a new truce?[/size]
[size=45]The event of the withdrawal of the "Patriot" coincides with the high frequency of attacks carried out by armed groups with "Katyusha" and drones, where two planes were shot down last week in Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]According to the Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, the Iraqi air defense system is “very weak” and Iraqi airspace is “open” to any hostile aircraft.[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi military data does not indicate the use of "Patriot" to repel these attacks. According to a statement by former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in late 2020, he "rejected the request to enter the Patriot" into Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]The statement, which was issued after the latter left office, said that following the storming of the US embassy in Baghdad on the last day of 2019, Baghdad "written and explicitly refused the entry of the Patriot, despite the American insistence."[/size]
[size=45]In the last days of Abdul-Mahdi’s term in office (the caretaker government), a US official announced in March 2020, the deployment of a “Patriot” in Ain al-Assad in Anbar and the Harir base in Erbil. Political parties spoke to Al-Mada, and suggested that the reduction of the level of defenses of the US forces in Iraq is behind a "new truce", especially with the arrival of Ibrahim Raisi, who is close to the crowd, to the Iranian presidency.[/size]
[size=45]In October 2020, a group of armed factions announced that they would stop attacking Western interests, under the pretext of giving an opportunity for “political deliberations to expel the American forces.” But the readings at the time linked that truce, which ended about a month after its conclusion, with the US elections that took place in November of the same year.[/size]
[size=45]The political sources, who asked not to be identified, indicate that “the truce was formulated with the arrival of Ismail Qaani to Baghdad recently,” but the sources also question the extent of the factions’ commitment because they are multiple.[/size]
[size=45]More than a week ago, the news of the arrival of the Iranian Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani to Baghdad to hold meetings of the leaders of the Popular Mobilization was leaked. The Iraqi government has not yet revealed the parties that target the military and diplomatic facilities in the country, and different names are being given to these factions.[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, sources in Anbar said, "Two missiles fell on the Ain Al-Assad base," which undermines talk of a truce or obligating the factions to a long-term truce.[/size]
[size=45]area sharing[/size]
[size=45]The example of Al-Alusi, the politician and former deputy, described the news of the withdrawal of the “Patriot” from Iraq and other countries as a “token” for the new relationship between Washington and Tehran.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Alusi, in contact with Al-Mada, indicates that the two parties "reached an agreement to share the region, including Iraq," in addition to the Iranian nuclear program.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Alusi, the leader of the Umma Party, confirms that "the new US administration confirmed before and after winning the elections that it seeks a quick agreement with Iran."[/size]
[size=45]The former MP adds that "the agreement is not only about the Iranian atomic bomb, but rather to share influence in the region," noting that "withdrawing the Patriots is the token of the new relationship."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Alusi warned that this step would "release the hand of the militias loyal to Iran in Iraq, and increase their control of power."[/size]
[size=45]Western officials believe that, in the next stage, Washington may focus more on "diplomacy" than on military capabilities in the region.[/size]
[size=45]Last year, Washington reduced its forces deployed in Iraq by half (approximately 2,500 soldiers), and justified this by the ability of the Iraqi forces to secure the country.[/size]
[size=45]Handing over Iraq to the factions[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, Ali Al-Baydar, a researcher in security and political affairs in contact with Al-Mada, considered that if Washington withdraws the Patriot system from Iraq without an alternative plan, this means "handing over the country to the factions."[/size]
[size=45]According to statements by US officials, Washington maintains high capabilities in the region "commensurate with the size of the threats and changes."[/size]
[size=45]Those officials, who spoke to Arab stations after the news of the Patriot's withdrawal spread, considered that withdrawing some capabilities "will not affect the security interests of the United States."[/size]
[size=45]The Pentagon will withdraw approximately eight Patriot anti-missile batteries from countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.[/size]
[size=45]But Ali al-Baydar said that "Washington bears a moral, legal and humanitarian responsibility in maintaining Iraq's security," warning that leaving the country in the hands of the factions "may mean the emergence of another organization similar to ISIS, but under another name."[/size]
[size=45]The researcher in the security affairs was surprised at the timing of the withdrawal announcement because it “came at a time of the growing capabilities of the factions and the escalation of armed attacks,” noting that reducing the number of US capabilities in Iraq “will increase Iranian influence in the country.”[/size]
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