Iraqi PM warns of devastating war, Sadr orders forces to be ready
[ Editor’s Note: Finally the Iraqi leadership gets off its knees, but a dime late and a dollar short. It has whined endlessly about US breaches of its sovereignty, but then done nothing about it, hostage to both US sanctions waivers and the $1 billion in aide that it gets.
As for the US move, at this point it looks like someone has lost their marbles. The military command has kept Trump from some crazy things in the past, but appears to have stood down.
The justification for the assassination, a cheap con as a “defensive act”, left out the long history of the US using proxy terrorists in Iraq, knowing full well that would draw in Iranian military support, as Tehran correctly viewed that a US takeover of Iraq was an overt threat against Iran.
If anyone had a justification to attack “threatening forces,” it is Iraq and Iran. So we must ask who was responsible for creating that situation, and why. Was it done because the US failure to Balkanize Syria spawned a plan to do so in Iraq as a booby prize?
Are we to believe that Trump dreamed this up, when it is on the record that he cannot even understand basic briefings, and briefers are instructed to use short sentences and no big words?
This comes as quite an irony after we saw the US military and Trump play a cool hand at not over reacting to the shoot down of the Global Hawk when it crossed over into Iranian airspace to test and collect data on its air defenses. The US now only has one remaining Global Hawk.
We are still waiting to hear what the nationality of the “US defense contractor” was. The lack of a name at this point indicates he was not an American, and the death was used as partial justification for the Soleimani group attack.
As we wrote last night, an operation this size would have been a months long endeavor, and the timing possibly chosen to help Trump politically to kick off the new year as the great military leader, while his Senate trial looms; he has indicated he might ignore the trial as “illegal”. There is a strong whiff of gangster in the air… Jim W. Dean ]
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– First published … January 03, 2020 –
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has condemned US assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani, warning of devastating consequences for Iraq as senior Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr put all his forces on alert.
The United States confirmed early on Friday that its forces had assassinated Gen. Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in an attack at Baghdad’s international airport.
Abdul-Mahdi blasted the US strike as a blatant act of “aggression” that would “spark a devastating war.” He described General Soleimani and al-Muhandis as the icons of Iraq’s victory over Western-backed Daesh terrorists.
“The assassination of an Iraqi military commander in an official post is an aggression against the country of Iraq, its state, its government and its people,” the PM said, referring to al-Muhandis.
He described the strike as a “flagrant violation of the conditions authorizing the presence of US troops” on Iraqi soil and said it should be met with legislation that safeguards Iraq’s security and sovereignty.
Abdul-Mahdi called on the Iraqi parliament to convene an extraordinary session. The parliament said it will reconvene on Saturday to decide the future of America’s military presence.
Attempt to suppress anti-US sentiments in Iraq
Sadr sent his condolences to the Iranian nation and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamanei.
He condemned the targeted assassination of General Soleimani and al-Muhandis as an attempt by Washington to stifle anti-US sentiments in Iraq and the nation’s resolve to uproot foreign-backed terrorism.
The cleric also ordered all his forces to maintain readiness to defend the Arab country against further violations by American forces.
“As the patron of the patriotic Iraqi resistance I give the order for all mujahideen, specially the Mehdi Army, Promised Day Brigade, and all patriotic and disciplined groups to be ready to protect Iraq,” he said in a statement.
He also called on all sides to behave with “wisdom and shrewdness.”
End of US military presence in Iraq ‘imminent’
Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Iraq’s Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq movement, ordered his fighters to be on high alert and said the strike would spell the end of the US military presence in Iraq.
“All fighters should be on high alert for upcoming battle and great victory. The price for the blood for the martyred commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is the complete end to American military presence in Iraq,” local TV channel al-Ahd quoted Khazali as saying.
Violation of Iraq’s sovereignty
Ammar al-Hakim, leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement, also condemned the assassination of Gen. Soleimani and al-Muhandis, calling on the government to take necessary action in response.
He said the two commanders had dedicated their lives to fighting terrorism and their assassination would bring about harsh consequences.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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With all the available ‘INTELLIGENCE’, obviously no one mentioned that possibly, just possibly, some Muslim nations may just join forces to rid the gulf of American presence. Sad that our young men and women over there are now wondering who the enemy is, and walking around with a target on their back. Its about time the American public stood up against the war machine and Zionists controlling ur country. Hell, even Benny Nats has turned his back on Trumpster…….
First and only smart move would be to invite Russian forces to assist Iraqis in cleaning up the country, with supervision from Iranian and Syrian forces. But somehow I feel that US will rather go nuclear than leave Iraq be.
America has stepped in, to replace the, ‘Bloody Brits’, as the Imperial, Colonial Oppressive Entity, around the World! It is not the doing of the American People! It is due to our becoming the, PLANTATION, of the Zionist Apartheid Theocratic-Supremacist Terror State of Israel! The, “Blood and Treasure’ of our People, is being used-abused as the, ‘Sacrificial Offerings’, on the barbaric-bloody Altar of Zionism, on the Worlds Stage, for many decades now! Now with this barbaric, lawless assassination I don’t see the end of the dark, horror filled tunnel! NUCLEAR WAR is upon us!!
Let´s hope, cooler heads will prevail, these provocations last year all pointed in this direction of escalation. It was just the question when will it happen not if
Don’t see that happening. The US has murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Iranians and Syrians directly and indirectly)…payback will be a bitch
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