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Don961:  Business Insider: The war in Iraq has cost America more than $ 2 trillion

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The American economic newspaper, "Business Insider" revealed that the war in Iraq cost the United States more than $ 2 trillion, indicating that the US government deducted the war funds from American taxpayers, who paid an average of $ 8,000 per person.

"A new report from the War Costs Project at Brown University, estimated that American taxpayers paid an average of $ 8,000 each and more than $ 2 trillion in total for the Iraq war alone," the newspaper said in a report.

"The actual costs of the war exceed the Pentagon’s approved budgets, and are transferred to other parts of the federal budget. Unlike most wars in history, the war is funded by borrowing money, which leads to large amounts of interest being paid - not to mention increasing wages to keep soldiers and care Medical disability. "

"Regardless of the high cost of the Iraq war, the group estimates that the United States has spent more than $ 6.4 trillion on all its efforts in the" war on terror "in Iraq and Afghanistan, and related violence in Pakistan and Syria."

According to a new estimate by Neta Crawford, co-director of war costs, "US taxpayers have paid nearly $ 2 trillion in costs associated with the war on the Iraq war alone."

Newsweek estimated that the total war in Iraq amounts to about $ 8,000 per taxpayer. This figure far exceeds the Pentagon's estimate that Americans have paid an average of $ 3,990 to both Iraq and Syria so far.

In March 2019, the Department of Defense estimated that wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria combined cost each US taxpayer approximately $ 7,623 on average.

The War Costs Project, through Brown University, is researching the human, economic and political costs of the post-9/11 wars launched by the United States.

 "It is important for Americans to understand exactly what their taxes are paying when it comes to war-related expenses," Stephanie Saville, co-director of War Costs Projects, told Insider.

"While the Americans are discussing the advantages of the US military presence in Iraq and elsewhere in the name of the American war on terrorism, it is necessary to understand that the costs of the war far exceed what the Defense Department allocated in overseas emergency operations and access to many parts of the federal budget."

The Pentagon has allocated about $ 838 billion in "emergency operations" and "external emergency operations" to military operations in Iraq from fiscal year 2003 to 2019, including those fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. However, Saville says, "The actual costs of the war often exceed the cost of budgets approved by Congress."

"When you are responsible for the cost of the war, you cannot just calculate what the Ministry of Defense has spent on foreign emergency funds," he added.

"You have to look at other sets of costs including interest on borrowed money, increased war-related spending, higher wages to retain soldiers, medical care and disability for post-9/11 veterans, and more."

According to their estimates, the cost of the Iraq war will now be $ 1922 billion in the current dollar - this figure includes funding explicitly allocated by the Pentagon for the war, spending on the country by the State Department, sponsoring veterans of the Iraq war and interest on debt incurred for 16 years from The US military was involved in the country.

Crawford says that war-related spending in Iraq has exceeded its budget within 16 years, and military forces have been present in the country, and the surplus is estimated at $ 382 billion in Iraq alone.

Increases in budgets approved by Congress were used to increase base security, recruitment and reinsertion bonuses, and increase wages to retain staff, and health care costs for service members.

In addition to the costs of the Ministry of Defense, the State Department added about $ 59 billion to the total costs of the US Agency for International Development’s war in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, $ 199 billion has been spent on veterans in Iraq who receive medical care, disability and other compensation. LINK

Don961:  Al-Araji: Political leaders are "miserable" and all that resulted in them was not in the interest of Iraq

7th February, 2020

Iraqi politician Bahaa al-Araji confirmed today, Friday, that the political leaders are miserable and desperate and all that resulted in them was not in the interest of Iraq.

Al-Araji said in a tweet on his personal page on Twitter followed by "Al-Akhbariya", that "the political leaders are desperate and do not appreciate the seriousness of the stage," noting that they are "working with reactions."

He added, "All that resulted from their political mobility during the past few days was not in the interest of Iraq!"

The leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Majed Shankali, stressed that if the parallel state in Iraq is not confronted, we will enter into the concept of no country.   LINK

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Don961:  Video .. Dhi Qar sets a week to hold a popular referendum to choose the prime minister and threatens a million on the threshold of the green

(VIDEO LINK - DELTA ?)

Politics 02/20/2020 20:41 1751     Baghdad today - Baghdad

The demonstrators of Dhi Qar Governorate, Thursday, 6-2-2020, set a week to hold a popular referendum to choose a "non-controversial" prime minister, while threatening a million on the threshold of the green.

The demonstrators stated, in a videotape in which they read a statement defining their position, that "given the elongation and procrastination, especially in the part of the post of prime minister, which confirmed the demonstration arenas and the rational reference by choosing a non-controversial figure, and despite that a controversial figure was chosen, and it was rejected from all the protest arenas, we will take We have a responsibility to choose, to bypass dialectics. "

They clarified, "And that is through a referendum, a public referendum, by monitoring and supervising the demonstration squares, the judiciary, the UNHCR and the United Nations, to vote on the figures provided by the demonstration squares."

They pointed out that "the date of the voting is decided one week from now, provided that the referendum centers will be in the provincial centers, and for a period of two days in order to prevent counterfeiting, and in all provinces with the region."

And they threatened a million people "on the green doorstep, to prevent procrastination and procrastination," according to their statement.    LINK  

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DELTA: FRANKIE...............CBI SITE WENT DOWN AT 1 PM IRAQI TIME..

Cashflow:  Im wondering with the CBI site down for so long if they aren't getting ready to do something positive this weekend. Here's to hoping.

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Don961:  Pompeo comments on the events of Najaf and describes the Iraqi people as `` brave ''

Politics 02/2020 09:13 989 Editor: ha    Baghdad today - follow up

On Friday (07 February 2020), US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo commented on the Najaf incidents that took place the day before yesterday, expressing the United States' anger at the violence.

"Since October last year, peaceful demonstrators took to the streets to demand government reform and were met with threats, brutal violence and live fire attacks," Pompeo said in a statement.

He continued, "It is unreasonable for the perpetrators of these acts to continue without punishment."

Pompeo called for "accountability of political figures who incite violence and government leaders who are not taking steps to protect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, which has killed more than 600 protesters and wounded thousands so far."

He added: "The Iraqi government should immediately address the legitimate grievances of the demonstrators by enacting reforms and tackling corruption."

The US Secretary of State described "the brave Iraqi people who seek a government free from corruption and interference (Iranian). We offer America's continued friendship and support to the Iraqi people, and we reaffirm the United States' continued commitment to it and a strong, sovereign and prosperous Iraq."     LINK

Don961:  Play with Yakaka on your own .. News about Abdel-Mahdi's escape to Paris, and the appointment of Fouad Hussein, headed by the Prime Minister and the leadership of the armed forces!

 Policy  ,   02/20/2020 00:10   Baghdad-Iraq today:

Private sources revealed the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to escape to Paris on Friday.

The sources confirmed that Abdel-Mahdi issued an order to Fouad Hussein to carry out his duties as prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, even though Thamer Al-Ghadban - the fugitive is also - is the first vice president!

Whoever guarantees that Fouad Hussain will not take sensitive and serious decisions in the interest of the region at the expense of Iraq as a whole, is not Allawi mandated to prevent Prime Minister Al-Mahdi and the rest of the ministers from traveling, especially since Adel Abdul-Mahdi occupies the position of Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, and there are serious bloody events During the empty and previous period, events in which people were killed, blooded and accused, occurred, in which arrest, investigation, corruption and accountability warrants are involved, including Abdul-Mahdi and Al-Ghadban before other wanted ministers, and the Iraqi judiciary may issue travel ban orders for them and their colleagues?   LINK

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Don961:  Israeli newspaper: Iran is training Shiite militias in Iraq to force America to withdraw its forces

7th February, 2020

The Israeli Jerusalem Post revealed today, Friday, that Iran is training proxy Shiite militias in Iraq to launch a war against the United States and forcing it to withdraw its forces from Iraqi territory.

The newspaper, in a report, translated by "Al-Akhbariya": "The Iranian proxies in Iraq are training in the war against the United States and will continue to fire missiles at the American forces in Iraq until they leave the United States."

The report added: "The Iranian-backed militias such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the Hezbollah Brigades and the Badr Organization are also using strict measures to suppress the demonstrators, including shooting at the demonstrators."

According to the newspaper, "The inspector general's quarterly report in recent months about Iran as the United States is increasingly concerned about Iran's threats to US forces in Iraq."   LINK

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Don961:  Close associate of the Prime Minister-designate reveals the mechanism followed by Allawi, choosing his government

Politics 02/20/2020 10:04 2103 Editor: as   
Baghdad today - Baghdad

The head of the Parliamentary Bloc of Al-Khair, Muhammad al-Khalidi, who is close to Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi, revealed on Friday (February 7, 2020) the mechanism followed by the latter by choosing the ministers in his next transitional government that he is charged with forming.

Al-Khalidi said, in an interview with (Baghdad Today), that "the Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi, has been working since the announcement of his mandate to choose the ministers of his prospective government himself, without any interference by any political party, and he refuses any interference with this choice."

He added that "since the announcement of Allawi's mandate, we have put in place approximately two to three weeks to complete the formation of the government. The process of selecting ministers needs time and accuracy, especially since the ministers will be from independent personalities, not previously tested."

The President of the Republic, Barham Saleh, had assigned Saturday (1 February 2020) the candidate Allawi, to form the new government to succeed Adel Abdul Mahdi, who resigned under the pressure of the protest movement that erupted on the first of last October.

According to informed sources, the Prime Minister-designate Mohamed Allawi has invited fifty deputies who submitted an application to the President of the Republic last December to assign him to form the government, and he talked about his vision in managing the next government and the possibility of providing solutions to get out of the current crisis and the challenges that Iraq is going through.  LIN