Don’t give Iraq more US aid

Toledo Blade: Nearly two years after the U.S. supposedly ended its military involvement in Iraq, President Obama apparently has decided to provide extensive military aid to the country. It shouldn’t happen.

The aid is intended to strengthen Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s predominantly Shiite government against Sunni opponents who are bitter at having been excluded from his post-American occupation regime.

One of candidate Barack Obama’s major campaign pledges in 2008 was ending the Iraq war. When he was re-elected last year, Americans believed the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq was final.

Giving Iraq missiles and drones — and apparently, selling F-16 jet fighters later on — will mean putting U.S. military and CIA trainers back in Iraq. The boots on the ground that were supposed to be long gone would return.

There is no reason for this action, other than to provide expensive, hazardous military protection to U.S. defense contractors, which will handle the transactions. The military aid should not be provided.