The White House has walked back a false claim it made about the US notifying the Iraq government before launching a series of airstrikes across eastern Syria and western Iraq on Friday.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed on Friday that the US did inform the Iraqi government, the US’s supposed ally in the country. But Iraq denied the claim, and another NSC spokesperson admitted Kirby’s claim was false.
“For operational security, we did not provide any kind of official pre-notification with specific details on these strikes,” an NSC spokesperson told The Intercept.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani declared three days of mourning for those killed by the US airstrikes, which killed members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a militia coalition that’s part of the Iraqi security forces. The Iraqi government said 16 were killed, including civilians, while the PMF said 16 of its members were killed.
The White House ordered the strikes following a January 28 drone attack in Jordan that killed three US troops, which the US blamed on the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a shadowy umbrella group of Shia militias. US bases in Iraq and Syria have come under attack over 160 times since October in response to President Biden’s support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
Al-Sudani has been calling for an end to the US presence, and the US and Iraq started talks on the issue at the end of January. But for now, the US appears determined to stay as it’s escalated the situation by launching the bombing campaign. On Sunday night, six US Kurdish allies were killed in a drone attack on a US base in US-occupied eastern Syria.
In January 2020, Iraq’s parliament voted unanimously to expel US troops in the wake of the US drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qasem Soleimani and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. But the US refused to leave and has significant economic leverage over Iraq, making it difficult for an Iraqi prime minister to kick US troops out.
How many times does Iraq have to tell the US to f..k off before Western Minority World media take notice and tell the masses? Yet another example of the propaganda by omission that is a central.part of their role in supporting the Empire.
Iraq military needs to enforce the demand of the leaders of Iraq for us to get the f*ck out of there. If there is a confrontation. So be it. Perhaps the Iraqis can call in the Taliban from Afghanistan to show how it is done.
A military confrontation with the US initiated by Iraqi forces would trigger a disaster for Iraq.
And they would be suddenly as poor as Yemen since the US will take all their money. Sorry. I apologize.
The US already took all their money.
Then, what is the answer? It is like a vile drunk barged into your house, then refused to leave. Asking nicely does not do it. Then what? Well, it is either have authorities take over, or, do it yourself. With force. We are spread pretty thin as it is. I don’t think we need another skirmish.
I don’t think there is an “answer” that could, at this point, coerce the US to back down that wouldn’t trigger a major regional war.
Russia is b@lls deep in Ukraine and you don’t have a problem with that. Hypocrite.
So now you want the Taliban to come over to Iraq and kill Americans?
This is how you guys get unmasked about being phony Americans.
You just get carried away and talk to much just like the other fascist idiot Franco Russo or whatever his stupid name is.
We were so very successful in combat with the Taliban, weren’t we? How many of our troops remain in Afghanistan? Zero. Russia? They are where they are because of the intransigence of presidents of the U.S. of Atrocities since Bill Clinton. When peace breaks out, we come to the rescue and f*ck it up. Or we send a dick like Boris to be the messenger. Hear this: WE HAVE NO BUSINESS OCCUPYING IRAQ!!!
US only understands the language of Force…!
It must be discouraging to see no results from exposing government’s lies day in and day out. No American I know other than a few here or on Twitter are keeping track or care, but thank you regardless. We appreciate it!
Lies and more lies after lies.
Either they are too stupid to pull off a good lie, or they have no fucks to give about blatantly lying. Maybe both.
So, will Kirby be reprimanded? /s
Go back to school Mr. John Kirby…! You’re Not the graduate of DC Lie School…!
In other news, our president, Biden, confused Macron with Mitterand (who has been dead since 1996), an early sign of dementia. G_d help us now and if he is re-elected. G-d help us if Trump is re-elected. We are really, really f*cked.
US will not leave Iraq willingly.
Behind the scenes “talking about the issue” means US is threatening Iraq with destruction via sanctions and economic warfare.
Yes. They’re saying the same thing behind the scenes as what Trump said out loud.
Speaking from the presidential plane, Mr Trump said that if Iraq asked US forces to depart on an unfriendly basis, “we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before, ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
Well at least Trump was coherent enough to accurately describe the core of American foreign “policy”, run out of Victoria Nuland’s downstairs bathroom, according to the latest rumors.
Admitting illegal unilateral sanctions against a sovereign country does not make Trump any better than Biden or any other past president…!
Trump was the one who moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem.
I’d rather it Trump’s way instead of some bullshit “agreement” we will be hearing about where lo and behold, they don’t want us to leave after all.
The presser with questions on rescinding humanitarian aid to Gaza was one for the record books too. Liars gonna lie.
The Biden administration, a rat’s nest of deceit, mired in the cold war mentality. Ugly people. Hannah Arendt would be proud ….NOT
Jeez, why worry about one false claim, everything that comes out of state or kirby is false in one way of another.
Where I grew up we called false claims lies.