PESHAWAR, Nov 23: It is in the interest of the US to pull out of Iraq with grace, otherwise its forces are destined to face more humiliation than it confronted in Vietnam.
This was stated by Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Peshawar, Professor Dr Taqi Bangash here on Saturday.
“Although Iraq is bleeding and the US has started to divide the country into Shia-Sunni zones, its repercussions would be more severe than those faced in Vietnam once the dust of internal frictions is settled and communication links established,” said Dr Bangash, who recently visited Iraq to study post-Saddam scenario.
The lecture, entitled “An analysis of the latest situation in Iraq”, was organized by Higher Education Commission at the university.
Dr Bangash gave an eyewitness account of his visit to the war-battered country during his two-hour speech.
Even though he praised the US troops, who he said were well-mannered and behaved nicely with the Iraqi people, he nevertheless said that the US and its allies were against Islam for which reason they had earned the enmity of the whole Ummah.
He described the Iraqi resistance as Islamic resistance “against the ulterior motives of the US.”
Dr Bangash said the US troops happened to be very friendly with the Iraqis, who enjoyed great freedom, quite unlike the Saddam era.
“During my visits to different cities I saw people staging protest demonstrations against the foreign occupational forces while the US soldiers stood silently by,” he said.
“In case the US succeeded in consolidating its rule in Iraq, then it would spell the end of Muslim civilization,” he said.
“The Americans have chalked out a strategy to trample the entire Muslim world and force them to accept their terms and conditions,” he claimed.
But Dr Bangash also expressed satisfaction over the end of the Saddam regime in Iraq, saying the people had heaved a sigh of relief following this development.
He alleged that Saddam had the backing of American CIA and he had imposed several wars on the region at the behest of his “American masters.”