Rockets Strike US Embassy in Baghdad

In-depth Report:

Iraq is occupied US territory. 

The vast majority of Iraqis and its ruling authorities want Pentagon and allied forces expelled from the country.

It’s the only way for the nation to regain its sovereignty, lost to US aggression and occupation, a hostile force in numerous countries, making world peace, stability and security unattainable.

Numerous times earlier, rockets and mortar fire struck the heavily fortified 10-sq-km Green Zone in central Baghdad, site of the US embassy, at times causing casualties — attacks occurring earlier in January and on Sunday.

Reportedly three rockets struck the US embassy directly, damaging the facility, injuring one or more staff members.

Citing unnamed sources, Reuters reported three injuries from direct strikes on the US embassy.

Iraqi Al Sumaria television issued a similar report, indicating that helicopters were evacuating some embassy personnel.

Since US occupation followed Bush/Cheney’s 2003 aggression, violence, instability, chaos, and deprivation defined conditions in the war-ravaged country — raped and destroyed by US rage for control of Iraq and the region.

Anti-US rage erupted following the Trump regime’s January 3 assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander General Soleimani and Iraqi de facto PMU head Muhandis.

Last Friday, hundreds of thousands rallied in Baghdad against US occupation of the country, demanding expulsion of its forces.

According to the State Department, over 14 attacks against US personnel occurred in Iraq since last September alone.

Sunday’s incident suggests more of the same ahead. According to one report, yesterday’s attack damaged the embassy’s dining area.

Iraqi MP Hoshyar Zebari said the embassy “restaurant or canteen was damaged and burned.”

The incident came six days after three rockets struck near the embassy, two others landing in the Green Zone on January 9.

As of Monday, the State Department’s website had no information on Sunday’s incident.

Separately, its spokesperson “call(ed) on the government of Iraq to fulfill its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities (in response to) rockets landing in the” Green Zone, saying nothing about striking the US embassy.

US personnel in the country are reviled and unwanted.

Their presence is all about colonizing Iraq, permanently occupying its territory, controlling its hydrocarbon and other resources, along with using Pentagon bases in the country as platforms for endless regional wars against invented enemies.

On Friday, an Iraqi PMU statement demanded US forces leave the country or be forced out.

Trump threatened tough sanctions on Iraq if US troops are expelled, saying:

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” adding:

He’ll impose “sanctions (on Iraq) like they’ve never seen before ever.”

He’s mostly following Senate impeachment trial proceedings, over the weekend posting a blizzard of tweets about it — affairs of state largely awaiting its outcome even though the result is virtually certain in the coming days.

Instead of impeaching Trump for legitimate high crimes, Dems chose politicized ones — unrelated to removing him from office, hoping to weaken him ahead of November presidential and congressional elections.

The latest Gallup January 15 tracking poll on Trump’s job approval showed it virtually unchanged from months earlier — 44% expressing approval, 53% disapproving of his performance as president.

Findings of a new Washington Post/ABC News poll were almost identical.

A new Fox News polls showed 50% of respondents in favor of removing Trump from office by impeachment, 44% against — most registered Dems for it, most Republicans against.

Independents support Trump’s removal by a 53 – 34% margin.

Only around one-fourth of respondents believe his Iran agenda made the US safer, around half of those polled believing it’s less safe.

Almost half of respondents think the nation is weaker under his leadership.

Polls on Trump’s job approval ask nothing about his endless wars on humanity at home and abroad.

Both right wings of the US war party share guilt.

Nearly all current and former US officials remain unaccountable for the highest of high impeachable offenses.

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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Featured image: Iraqi army soldiers are deployed in front of the U.S. embassy, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020.Nasser Nasser/AP


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Articles by: Stephen Lendman

About the author:

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.

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