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‘We Defeat Ourselves’: US-Backed Orgy of Violence in Iraq, Syria Further Delegitimizes Country
‘We Defeat Ourselves’: US-Backed Orgy of Violence in Iraq, Syria Further Delegitimizes Country
Sputnik International
Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter appeared on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday to respond to the United States’ violent retaliatory blitz in Iraq and Syria over the weekend, which has killed some 40 people.
2024-02-05T23:54+0000
2024-02-05T23:54+0000
2024-02-06T00:39+0000
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Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter appeared on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday to respond to the United States’ violent retaliatory blitz in Iraq and Syria over the weekend, which has killed some 40 people.The former United Nations weapons inspector, who was shunned in Washington for disputing US intelligence narratives about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, said the US’ vengeful attacks would not deter strikes on US troops in the region provoked by outrage over American backing of Israel.“You know, this is just the insanity of the cycle of violence that the United States has engaged in,” Ritter concluded. “It's mindless. It's automatic. We don't know any other process. We never once paused and said, 'what are we genuinely trying to accomplish here?'”Ritter claimed the retaliatory strikes would only further worsen the reputation of the United States in the Middle East and across the world, which is already in freefall as a multipolar world order emerges led by countries like China and Russia.“We've just alienated the Iraqi government,” he added. “We've undermined our own legitimacy… We took a bad situation and we made it worse, and it's only going to continue to get worse. We defeat ourselves.”The United States has repeatedly claimed that the illegal, covert presence of US troops in Syria is justified by efforts to defeat the ISIS* terrorist group. But the United States has empowered ISIS-linked fighters through its efforts to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. What’s more, the United States’ close ally Israel has admitted to supplying weapons to ISIS-linked Syrian militants to aid their fight against al-Assad, who is considered an enemy of Israel in the region.“We are a terrorist organization, and we are sponsoring attacks against the legitimate government of Syria,” Ritter lamented. “That's the mission. And I wish every American would recognize this and understand that there's no legitimacy here. It's actually the most illegitimate mission one can imagine. And it should disgust every American that we are literally state sponsors of terrorism.”*ISIS (also known as Daesh/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240205/us-airstrikes-in-iraq-syria-deliberately-stoke-conflict--russian-envoy-to-un-1116609757.html
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‘We Defeat Ourselves’: US-Backed Orgy of Violence in Iraq, Syria Further Delegitimizes Country
23:54 GMT 05.02.2024 (Updated: 00:39 GMT 06.02.2024) “We are a terrorist organization,” said former intelligence officer Scott Ritter of the United States, which continues to destabilize the Middle East through its unwanted presence.
Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter appeared on
Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday to respond to the United States’ violent retaliatory blitz in Iraq and Syria over the weekend, which has killed some 40 people.
The former United Nations weapons inspector, who was shunned in Washington for disputing US intelligence narratives about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, said the US’ vengeful attacks would not deter strikes on US troops in the region provoked by outrage over American backing of Israel.
“Our shock and awe initiation – I think 80, 85 targets, 220 plus munitions, $500 million it cost us to strike these targets – immediately several of the militias in the area have fired drones and rockets against American bases, and it's ongoing,” he noted. “Not only that, I mean, look, President [Joe] Biden admitted that the strikes against the Houthis have not deterred them, that they continue to do what they do [blockading ships in the Red Sea].”
“You know, this is just the insanity of the cycle of violence that the United States has engaged in,” Ritter concluded. “It's mindless. It's automatic. We don't know any other process. We never once paused and said, 'what are we genuinely trying to accomplish here?'”
Ritter claimed the retaliatory strikes would only further worsen the reputation of the United States in the Middle East and across the world, which is already in freefall as a multipolar world order emerges led by countries like China and Russia.
“If there was ever any legitimacy to the American presence in Iraq and Syria linked to the so-called anti-Islamic state mission that we're ostensibly engaged in, we just think that,” said the analyst. “I mean, the Syrian government will never support us to stay in American presence on their soil, especially an illegal presence.”
“We've just alienated the Iraqi government,” he added. “We've
undermined our own legitimacy… We took a bad situation and we made it worse, and it's only going to continue to get worse. We defeat ourselves.”
“No one has ever once paused and reflected, 'Why were they there? What were they trying to accomplish?’” said Ritter. “And by avenging their deaths, are we not just putting more American servicemens’ lives at risk for a cause that's not worth the life of one American, let alone the scores of Syrians and Iraqis that we're killing as a result of this? So, we don't learn anything. I'm just, I'm ashamed of my country.”
The United States has repeatedly claimed that the illegal, covert presence of US troops in Syria is justified by efforts to defeat the ISIS* terrorist group. But the United States has empowered ISIS-linked fighters through its efforts to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. What’s more, the United States’ close ally Israel has
admitted to supplying weapons to ISIS-linked Syrian militants to aid their fight against al-Assad, who is considered an enemy of Israel in the region.
“We created or helped facilitate the growth of Islamic State in Syria because we wanted them to target [Syrian President] Bashar al Assad,” noted Ritter. “So now we are in this very interesting situation where we're attacking the very weapon we created to achieve a result that we still want to achieve. And so the al-Tanf base [in Syria] is an outgrowth of that.”
“We are a terrorist organization, and we are sponsoring attacks against the legitimate government of Syria,” Ritter lamented. “That's the mission. And I wish every American would recognize this and understand that there's no legitimacy here. It's actually the most illegitimate mission one can imagine. And it should disgust every American that we are literally state sponsors of terrorism.”
*ISIS (also known as Daesh/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
