US Occupation and War on Iraq

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Trump regime war on humanity rages at home and abroad in multiple countries.

It's notably ongoing mostly unreported in Iraq, a nation raped and destroyed by US aggression and war by other means for the past 40 years with no let-up.

Iraq today is illegally occupied by US forces, ignoring Iraqi ruling authorities and lawmakers wanting them out.

Weeks earlier, Trump threatened "sanctions (on Iraq) like they've never seen before" if its government demands US occupying forces must leave — warning as well that he'll shut down Iraq's central bank access to its Fed account.

Iraqi lawmaker Badr al-Zobadi accused the Trump regime of "completely tak(ing) control of Iraq's airspace due to the silence of (its Baghdad) government."

The Pentagon used Iraqi airspace to terror-bomb sites in the country days earlier, killing members of the popular mobilization group Kata'ib Hezbollah that's connected to the country's military.

Police and civilians were also killed, many others injured. The strikes came in response to a rocket attack on the Pentagon's Camp Taji, one of numerous US bases in the country.

Despite Kata'ib Hezbollah's denial of responsibility for what happened, it didn't matter. Longstanding US policy is shoot first and ask no questions.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council head Admiral Ali Shamkhani said there's "a link between the (Trump regime's) assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the US claim on the attack against Camp Taji."

Was the latter a false flag wrongfully blamed on Kata'ib Hezbollah, a Pentagon tactic to unjustifiably justify occupying Iraqi territory? 

It's used as a platform for war on the country, neighboring Syria, and other regional hostilities.

Overnight Friday, rockets again struck Camp Taji. At least two military personnel on the base were reported wounded. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

Trump falsely blamed Iran for the days earlier strike on the base, denounced as baseless by Tehran.

On Saturday, Press TV reported that US forces "carried out artillery and missile attacks on military bases along the Syrian-Iraqi border less than a day after it launched airstrikes on several bases in Iraq," adding:

"Iraq's Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported that American forces, stationed at the al-Omar oil field in Syria's eastern Dayr Ezzor province targeted bases west of the Euphrates River."

"US warplanes flew over the districts of al-Musayab, Eskandariya and Jurf al-Sakhar in Iraq's central Babil province."

Iraqi authorities condemned US aggression but have done nothing to demand Pentagon occupation of the country end.

Iraq's Foreign Ministry intends filing a formal complaint to the UN and Security Council over the days earlier terror-bombing incident. 

It's a futile gesture because of US veto power and secretary general Guterres' complicity with its imperial agenda.

Separately on Friday, US CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie falsely claimed a "threat (from Iran that doesn't exist) remains very high."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi debunked the false US accusation, saying:

The Trump regime "cannot shift the responsibility for its illegal presence in Iraq and to the response by this country's people on Iraqi commanders and fighters murder on to others."

"Instead of dangerous actions and baseless accusations, Trump should reconsider the presence and behavior of his troops in the area."

The Middle East remains the world's top hot spot because of endless US aggression and occupation of countries where it doesn't belong.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html