US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that a US AC-130 gunship launched strikes in Iraq against people allegedly responsible for an earlier missile attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, which houses US troops.
The Pentagon said eight US troops were wounded when Ain al-Asad airbase was targeted with a “short-range ballistic missile” and that the AC-130 responded “immediately.”
CENTCOM said the AC-130 strikes strike resulted in “several enemy casualties.” A US official later told The War Zone that the strikes killed at least one member of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shia militia.
According to AFP, the AC-130 struck a vehicle in Abu Ghraib, once the site of the notorious American torture prison. AC-130 gunships are armed with various types of heavy weapons, including 105mm howitzers.
The US airstrikes in Iraq risk significantly escalating attacks on US forces in the region. As of Monday, US troops in Iraq and Syria have come under attack at least 61 times since October 17 due to President Biden’s full-throated support for the Israeli onslaught in Gaza.
The US has launched three rounds of airstrikes in eastern Syria against Shia militias believed to be responsible for the attacks. The incident on Tuesday marked the first US strikes in Iraq since the attacks on US bases started last month.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Pentagon was aware launching strikes in Iraq could “exacerbate anti-American sentiment” in the country. Many elements in Iraqi politics oppose the US presence, which consists of about 2,500 troops, and the direct US strikes could spark fresh protests.
Leaders of the Shia militias that operate in Iraq and Syria have vowed attacks on US troops will continue until there is a durable ceasefire in Gaza. They might also see the current tensions as an opportunity to drive US forces out of Iraq.
Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon… The war theater keeps adding more scenes, acts, prequels, and sequels. But none is there to give it a standing ovation. And here, well, I just notice that the price of Thanksgiving dinner is totally out of control. Many of us have to cut back. And the other “many” in tents or under freeways… who will lift them into a place of decent living? Only the war-machine has enough money to do what it will. I think this holiday should only be about spotlighting the suffering of the homeless and of the innocent ones in any war-zone.
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Regarding war… Some are raining on the parade:
https://twitter.com/wawog_now/status/1727709038001987757
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Ahh, sweet disruption. Would love to see the CEO of Macy’s watching this:
https://twitter.com/BTnewsroom/status/1727706247741206953
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More parade fun:
https://twitter.com/two__evils/status/1727708795143438457
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I love humanity:
https://twitter.com/protest_nyc/status/1727711857044042052
We know the organizers sunk millions into this event. Aw, shucks. Too bad. And some might say this is sad for the children. I can only think of the words from and old Crosby, Stills, and Nash song: “Teach Your Children Well.” And what a teaching moment it is!!
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I know it’s not enough, but it’s a step and will likely bring more to the fight, the real fight. The long held greeting of “Happy Thanksgiving” might just be replaced with “Free, Free Palestine.” And following that, our very wonderful Holiday will follow every December 15th with passionate cheers of “Happy Bill of Rights Day!!!”
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More wreaking havoc:
https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1727725104661201375
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“Israel is a grotesque country. Not only do we not receive anything in compensation for our support, but American interests are also damaged as a result of our support for Israel. There is no moral imperative to support Israel. There is no shared civilization or values between us. Israel is a pariah state that is propped up by American support. Compromise that support and Israel would face an existential threat given the terrible things that it does and the lack of international support it has sans America. While my own politics tend towards non-intervention generally such that I lament American imperial pretensions, I am not immune to human suffering beyond the borders of my country. To be sure, I denounce the murder of civilians in any conflict… … Whether or not it is too late in the game to address the enormous cost of America’s immoral and stupid support of Israel, these things must be said. Israel is not our greatest ally — not by a long shot.”
— UNZ Review Journalist Bernard Smith, 11/19/23
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