Another rocket attack hits Iraqi airbase, one contractor dead.

 

File photo of Ain al-Asad airbase. Reuters. 

Another rocket attack has hit an Iraqi airbase and one contractor died at the scene. Reuters. No US troops were injured in the attack but the contractors was an American citizen and died of heart attack. Ten rockets hit the airbase, which was targeted by Iran during a ballistic missile strike last year. It has not been determined who launched the attack but Iranian backed militias are the prime suspects. The attack comes after Joe Biden launched an attack in Syria targeting Iranian militias in retaliation for another rocket attack. 

My Comment:

Ugh, something tells me that the Biden administration will use this as an excuse to launch further strikes in Syria... even though the attack was carried out in Iraq by Iraqi militias. I have zero faith in Biden's ability to restrain himself and I am guessing the neoliberals in his administration are salivating at the thought at bombing Syria again. 

I obviously don't think that a retaliation strike is justified. The rocket attack didn't kill anyone directly. There was a death but it's the kind of death that probably would have happened regardless. Sometimes a contractor has a bad heart and if they do they can die. Sure, the attackers were trying to kill people but I just see zero interest in bombing third parties that had little to do with the attack. 

If there is a response it should be limited to the militia responsible and limited to strikes within Iraq. I don't even think that is necessary but if they are going to be launched it should be launched against the people that actually did the attack. We don't need to bomb Syria again. 

Honestly, I don't understand why we still have troops in Iraq in the first place. We should have withdrawn a long time ago. Our main purpose in being there was fighting ISIS and ISIS is mostly gone. I know that Biden wants bomb Iran and Syria but that's no excuse for keeping troops in Iraq. 

I also think that it is way past time for Iraq to stand on their own. We have given them billions of dollars and built and rebuilt their army after ISIS left it destroyed. We have done everything we can to allow them to stand on their own and right now we shouldn't be fighting their battles anymore. If they want to fight these Iranian militias then they should go ahead and do so.

But I am guessing that the attack wouldn't even happen if American troops weren't still in Iraq. Not to justify Iranian attacks but if we weren't there they would have to try and hit other targets or simply let things lay. The Iranians want us out of Iraq for their own reasons and if we aren't there they wouldn't be attacking us most likely. They would probably be focusing on Israel and Saudi Arabia. 

I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in the foreign policy of the Biden administration. I feel that they will use these minor rocket attacks as a pretext to war with Iran. And if they don't, they will probably go back into the Iran nuclear deal... which will probably lead to a war with Israel and/or Saudi Arabia. Under President Trump there probably would have been a status quo ante...