March 20 – BLiTZ. According to Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev, Iraq has gone through hard trials associated with the American occupation, crises and confessional purges. However, the country did not collapse. In an interview with Izvestia, the diplomat spoke about how Iraq lives now, how strong American influence is in the country, how Iraq treats Russia, and why Baghdad is only ready for limited cooperation with China.
Kutrashev also assessed the start of the war in Iraq in 2003 as an illegal invasion by the US and its allies, as it was not approved by the UN Security Council. He noted that many states were frightened because a country that enjoyed authority was attacked under false pretenses. “The question was who else would this crazy American animal attack, because they then announced that they would do whatever they wanted,” the diplomat said.
There are currently about 2,500 US troops in Iraq, but there is no talk of occupying the country. The Russian ambassador noted that the term “American occupation” is applicable only to Syria, where the US has an illegal base in the At-Tanf region. Kutrashev also stressed that there are bases in Iraq to which Washington can transfer as many people as it likes at any time. In addition, the Americans control Iraqi airspace.
Russian Ambassador Kutrashev told what the US military is doing in Iraq March 20, 2023 at 09:01
