The flat, bare lands of Saudi, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, south Turkey

Last Sunday midnight I travelled from Manila to Nice, France via Dubai, Emirates Air. Arrived Dubai 4:30am, then the connecting flight Dubai-Nice took off about 7am local time, lucky that I was on a window seat on the left but the left wing of the plane covers my view. Anyway, the plane passed by the Persian Gulf. Later I saw many rounded structures, looked like oil storage facilities, on the shore. I think it was Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Then an area with many high rise structures, could be Kuwait. Then Iraq. Saudi, Kuwait, Iraq, just flat, very little structures or farms, mainly for oil gas extraction.

With such geography, there is really no other reason for the US to invade Iraq in 2003 but to get its oil and gas. Lousy me that I believed the US government, media, etc. propaganda that Saddam has WMD (weapons of mass destruction) that time so the invasion was justified.

The huge Tigris River in northern Iraq could be one of the big rivers seen from the air but I could not identify them.

I don't know what lake is this. Still in Iraq. Then the plane turned left after passing Iraq, it could be Syria and the plane avoided its airspace. It is a bit mountainous but still no vegetation.

Anyway, the bulk of US forces have left Iraq, they lost in getting rid of militants. Same way that US has lost in Afghanistan, they invaded it in 2001 then left in a hurry in 2021, the Taliban that was the object of invasion has returned to power.