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Iraq

Breaking: US military conducts airstrikes in Iraq in retaliation for rocket attack that killed 2 Americans

2020-03-12

First info vague, more overnight, I'm sure
[ABC] Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Iranian-backed Shia militias were responsible.

The U.S. military conducted ~~arclights~~ airstrikes in various locations inside Iraq on Thursday in retaliation for a recent rocket attack that killed two American service members and one British service member and wounded 14 others, according to two U.S. officials, one of whom characterized the strikes as being carried out in self defense.

It was unclear what targets were being struck by U.S. military aircraft, but earlier in the day, senior Pentagon officials had blamed Iranian-backed Shia militia groups for Wednesday's attack on Camp Taji in Iraq.

"Yesterday's attack by Iranian-backed Shia militia groups consisted of multiple indirect fires that originated form a stationary platform and was clearly targeting coalition and partner forces on Camp Taji," Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters on Thursday. "But let me be clear, the United States will not tolerate attacks against our people our interests or our allies."

Esper continued, "All options are on the table as we work with our partners to bring the perpetrators to justice and maintain deterrence."

Posted by:Frank G

#3 We really need to conduct an old-fashioned ARCLIGHT strike on one of these groups, just to teach them what it CAN be like if we really get pissed. These "proportional" strikes do not present us as the ultimate strong horse, which we truly need to do.

Posted by: Old Patriot 2020-03-12 23:58

#2 Why proportional?

Posted by: Alistaire Tingle9882 2020-03-12 21:17

#1 Fox News: The Pentagon released a statement following the strikes, confirming that they were conducted in response to the rocket attacks on Wednesday.

"Earlier this evening, the United States conducted defensive precision strikes against Kata’ib Hizbollah (KH) facilities across Iraq," the Defense Department said. "These strikes targeted five weapon storage facilities to significantly degrade their ability to conduct future attacks against Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces. These weapons storage facilities include facilities that housed weapons used to target U.S. and coalition troops."

"These strikes were defensive, proportional, and in direct response to the threat posed by Iranian-backed Shia militia groups (SMG) who continue to attack bases hosting OIR coalition forces," the Pentagon added.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said: “The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies. As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region."

The U.S. has two aircraft carriers in the region: USS Harry S Truman in the Arabian Sea and USS Dwight D Eisenhower in the Red Sea. But these strikes did not involve Tomahawk cruise missiles, Fox News is told, just multiple aircraft, but it is not clear what jets were used and from which bases they launched.

Posted by: Frank G 2020-03-12 20:16

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