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Press TV has conducted an interview with Richard Becker, with the ANSWER Coalition from San Francisco, about reports saying Baghdad has not agreed to grant immunity from local prosecution to US forces that are being deployed to Iraq, which is fighting against Takfiri militants.

Press TV: Mr. Becker, why is it that everywhere it goes, the United States seeks immunity from prosecution for its troops? I mean doesn’t this show a lack of respect for law?

Becker: Well, absolutely. This is a continuation of the old colonial tradition called extraterritoriality. That is what it used to be called when the British and the French in particular with colonized centenaries, they would institute policies that said that their nationals could not be subject to trial, to the justice system of the colonized country and they forced by means of arms those countries to accept it.

In many countries, that was the source of great, great anger as anyone I think could understand. It led to many rebellions in China when China was under foreign domination but it is a profoundly colonialist policy and I think that the Iraqi government wants to deny that it has assured Washington that there would be immunity for US personnel as part of the deal but they do not want to admit that because of this is so understandably unpopular.

But the United States is clearly making demands right now on the Iraqi government, on the al-Maliki government as conditions for receiving a greater US aid and intervention and receiving that intervention is now taking place.

Press TV: And of course the United States speaks against the ISIL in Iraq while it supports them in Syria. Just how can such contradiction and duplicity in policy be justified?

Becker: Well I think this is a product of the incredible arrogance of the US leaders over the years. You know we in the anti-war movement back in 2002 and 2003, we were saying that if you do not understand the history of this region including the leaders in United States that they did not understand and did not care to understand that they were plunging into a situation which would have unforeseeable and terrible consequences and now we are seeing the consequences.

And in your lead the woman who spoke talked about how for many years there was a great deal of unity inside of Iraq but because of the US invasion, the occupation, the dismantling of the government and dismantling of the army, the favoring of certain groups inside the country, the United States in Iraq has created a tragedy, a disaster and it has also done that in Syria but it is the group that it is supporting as you pointed out, the rebel groups so-called inside of Syria are the same ones who at least are overlap of those who are threatening the government that the United States has been supporting in Iraq.

Press TV: Then finally how likely will there be US troops on the ground in Iraq?

Becker: Well as we understand that there are US troops on the ground. The news report say that 90 Special Forces arrived today as the beginning of a deployment of at least 300 and it could be far more.

We often find out after the wars that they were far, far more people, Special Forces and armed personnel in the country than had been revealed. But they are not there just as advisors. That is just euphemism. They are there to go to the front lines, to try to bolster the Iraqi army and there are more of them coming and US planes are crisscrossing Iraq, drones are crisscrossing Iraq every day and that can very well be preparation for a further military action and that is what we in the anti-war movement in the United States and the ANSWER Coalition are so much frightened against.