A US contractor died of a heart attack during a rocket attack on the Al Asad US military base in western Iraq on Wednesday morning, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Pentagon said approximately ten rockets were fired at the base, and no US soldiers have been reported killed. The contractor “suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering.” So far, the US has not attributed blame for the incident and said they are working with Iraq’s security services on an investigation.
The attack comes after President Biden ordered an airstrike in eastern Syria last Thursday against the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of state-sponsored Shia militias that was formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.
The Pentagon said it targeted Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, two Shia militias that are part of the PMF, in last week’s airstrikes. The US tried to frame the bombing as “defensive” and as a “proportionate” response to rocket attacks against US facilities in Iraq that took place in February.
But the US has offered no evidence that the groups they struck had anything to do with recent attacks, and Kataib Hezbollah has denied any role. Biden’s Syria bombing is widely seen as an attack on Iran as the groups he targeted are considered “Iranian-backed.” While Iran does support many of the Iraqi Shia militias, the amount of influence Tehran has on the groups is largely overblown.
Wednesday’s attack on Al Asad will likely be blamed on Iran or its allies in Iraq. But all signs indicate Iran is looking for a de-escalation in the region and has no interest in orchestrating attacks on the US, as Tehran is hoping for sanctions relief from the Biden administration.
A report from Middle East Eye following Biden’s Syria airstrike said Iran and its Iraqi allies were seeking a de-escalation, but feared Kataib Hezbollah would respond anyway, a sign that the militia is not as controlled by Iran as Washington claims.
The reality in Iraq is that there are many groups that have their own reasons to fire on US bases. While Kataib Hezbollah may not have been behind last month’s attacks on US facilities, they certainly have a reason to attack the US now. And groups like ISIS have a keen interest in provoking a conflict between the US and the Iraqi Shia militias.
The ants have infested the picnic grounds. Time to go home.
re: “The reality in Iraq is that there are many groups that have their own reasons to fire on US bases.”
All estimates of Iraq War deaths from US Operation Iraqi Freedom are disputed, with estimates ranging from a hundred fifty thousand to over half a million here.
Millions of Iraqi citizens displaced, the infrastructure in ruins. Then you have the infants being born with multiple birth defects due to depleted uranium contamination.
‘The contractor “suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering.”’
Ah, but had they tested him for coronavirus?
They were probably going to count it as a COVID death but having a heart attack makes it more sinister and easier to blame someone(Iran).
Contractor= Mercenary
Another excellent observation!
MD’s have been very clear with me, that stress situations can “trigger” a heart attack waiting to happen, but they do not “cause” the heart attack. It is just waiting to happen, and will, because of heart-health issues.
Of course Biden’s people ought to know that. I’m sure many of them do know what total nonsense this is. They said it anyway, because they think we don’t know.
They think we are stupid. They seem to be right.
“They said it anyway, because they think we don’t know.”
Plus once it’s said, it is out there. And even if retracted later, the original bullshit sticks. They are so good at that.
It is very confusing — US is bombing Iraqi
militias, incorporated into and paid for by Iraqi Army. These are units that took a brunt of ISIS onslaught and paid heavy price, Those that are bombed on Iraqi-Syrian border have been guarding a pass through which mysterious ISIS groups have been smuggling weapons and militants. It is embarrassing enough that “desert” ISIS is coming from US controlled part of Syria — Deir Azzor. And it is also embarrassing that population living there has not been asked for their permission to be occupied by US.
However, the most damaging policy implication
is the muddle created by attacking Iraqi units that for years bled in fighting ISIS. Where are we heading with this? Nearly 70% of Iraqi population is Shia, and they are not taking it kindly listening to our incessant droning on and on about —Iran! All this policy will do
— provoke more sectarian tensions. It is absurd to target Shia population, and demonize their self-defense. Can we really hope to somehow demonize and attack all Shia population of Middle East? Kuwait is 40% Shia, Bahrein 80%. Qatar is Iran’s ally, Oman is a unique branch of Sunni Islam, and North Yemen is over 80% Zaidi Shia. Syria has a sizable Shia population, and Lebanon is one third Shia. Turkey has Shia population, and Turkey two main branches of Sunni Islam that have great relationship with Iran Shia. Majority population of Azerbaijan is Shia.
All attempts at creating conflicts between Sunni and. Shia on a large scale have failed. Sunni cults like Al-Qaeda and ISIS have not succeeded in generating greater regional conflicts. So, continuous harping on Iran — and its presumed weaponizing every Shia populace in the Middle East, has become stale.
The country trapped by this rhetoric is Saudi Arabia. UAE is a powerless pawn.
It will not be easy for Saudi Arabia. It is a keeper of Islam’s shrines. The most populous Sunni countries, like Indonesia and Pakistan have good relationship with Iran. So do Turkey and Egypt. So do over 20 million Muslims living in Russia, and Sunni countries of Central Asia.
The continued drumbeat blaming anything Shia on Iran — even those that stopped ISIS — is a questionable policy. Domestically — it plays only in the context of Israel’s obsession with Iran.