Palestinian Politician Views US Withdrawal from Iraq as "Victory for Iran"

A prominent Palestinian political activist said that the US troops withdrawal from Iraq is a great victory for Iran, and voiced pleasure in the growing power of Iran as a key member of the resistance front in the region. Speaking at a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon in Beirut on Saturday, member of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front Abu Khaled al-Shamal pointed to the US retreat from Iraq and stated, "The US pullout is a heavy defeat for them (Americans) and a great victory for Iran." He warned that the US is targeting Syria to make up for its defeat and failure in Iraq, and is trying to destabilize Syria as part of the resistance front in the region. Shamal further voiced his group's support for Syria and the resistance front. Nearly nine years after American troops stormed across Iraq's border in a blaze of shock, US officials quietly ended the bloody and bitterly divisive conflict in Iraq on Thursday, but the debate over whether it was worth the cost in money and lives is yet unanswered. Nearly 4,500 Americans and 100,000 Iraqis killed. Another 32,000 American and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been wounded and the war cost US billions of dollars.