Posts

Iraq Works to Expel U.S. Forces After Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Attacks

/8 Comments/in , /by

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Thursday that his government is working to expel U.S. and allied troops. Iran-linked Shiite militias have relentlessly attacked American forces in Iraq since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7 and began the current Gaza war.

“We are in the process of reorganizing this relationship. With the presence of capable Iraqi forces, the Iraqi government is heading towards ending the presence of the international coalition forces,” Sudani said at a press conference with socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Spain has some troops in Iraq, but the bulk of the foreign forces are Americans, nominally serving as advisers, trainers, and consultants to the Iraqi military.

Sanchez said his government would support “the unity, sovereignty, and stability of Iraq.” He also condemned Israel for its strikes in Gaza, a position Sudani applauded.

Sudani said his administration would respect “the legal authorization granted by previous governments” for the presence of foreign troops but criticized foreign forces for engaging in “military operations” that he rejected as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.” (Read more from “Iraq Works to Expel U.S. Forces After Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Attacks” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

U.S. Military Strikes Back: Airstrikes Target Iranian-Backed Militants After Drone Attack Injures Numerous Troops

/4 Comments/in , /by

In a decisive response to a recent drone strike that injured multiple U.S. service members, the U.S. military launched airstrikes against facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, and affiliated entities in Iraq. The strike came as part of a broader pattern of attacks, with U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria facing more than 100 incidents since October 17, as reported by the Military Times.

The attack, which saw a suicide drone targeting a U.S. base in Erbil, Iraq, left three U.S. service members injured, including one in critical condition. U.S. Central Command announced late on Monday night that airstrikes had been conducted against multiple facilities associated with Kataib Hezbollah:

“Early assessments indicate that these U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin underscored the gravity of the situation, noting that other terror groups involved in attacks against U.S. forces in the region were also “Iran-aligned.” Austin emphasized the commitment to defending the United States, its troops, and interests, stating, “There is no higher priority.” While expressing a reluctance to escalate conflict, he affirmed the readiness to take further necessary measures to protect U.S. personnel and facilities.

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

U.S. Military Bases in Iraq and Syria Targeted in Thanksgiving Day Attacks

/0 Comments/in , /by

On Thanksgiving Day, U.S. bases and troops in Iraq and Syria faced a series of attacks involving mortars and armed drones, as reported by Sky News Arabia. The assaults targeted U.S. and international forces in both countries, with incidents occurring at the Ain al-Asad air base west of Baghdad and the Harir base near Erbil Airport in northern Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed. The attacks, orchestrated by a group identifying itself as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, included the deployment of suicide drones and claims of militia forces storming the base using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

Despite the intensity of the attacks, there were no reported casualties or damage to infrastructure. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the assaults, and unconfirmed video footage purportedly showing the attack circulated online.

These Thanksgiving Day attacks mark the latest in a series of incidents targeting U.S. bases and troops in the region. Since October 17, the count of attacks has risen to 66, with at least 62 reported injuries. The surge in attacks began ten days after Hamas initiated an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in over 1,200 casualties.

Retired Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joe Kent, currently running for Congress in Washington state, criticized the situation, attributing the rocket attacks to two decades of failed U.S. policies and alleging corruption within the Biden administration.

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Iraq to Ban Cash Withdrawals and Transactions in Dollar Before 2024

/0 Comments/in , /by

Iraq will ban cash withdrawals and transactions in U.S dollars as of Jan. 1 2024 in the latest push to curb the misuse of its hard currency reserves in financial crimes and the evasion of U.S. sanctions on Iran, a top Iraqi central bank official said.

The move aims to stamp out the illicit use of some 50% of the $10 billion that Iraq imports in cash from the New York Federal Reserve each year, Mazen Ahmed, director-general of investment and remittances at the Iraqi central bank (CBI), told Reuters.

It’s also part of a broader push to de-dollarize an economy that has seen the greenback preferred over local notes by a population weary of recurring wars and crises following the 2003 U.S. invasion.

People who deposit dollars into banks before the end of 2023 will continue to be able to withdraw funds in dollars in 2024, Ahmed said. But dollars deposited in 2024 could only be withdrawn in local currency at the official rate of 1,320.

The parallel market rate of the Iraqi dinar sat at 1,560 on Thursday, roughly 15% percent below the official rate. (Read more from “Iraq to Ban Cash Withdrawals and Transactions in Dollar Before 2024” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Watch Neocon George Bush Condemn “The Decision of One Man to Launch a Wholly Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq” in Massive Gaffe

/0 Comments/in , /by

Former US President George W. Bush mistakenly denounced the “brutal, unjustified invasion of Iraq” at an event on Wednesday as he was offering a critique of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The slip-up occurred during an event on election integrity at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas and was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

“In contrast, Russian elections are rigged. Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the political process,” Bush told the crowd. “The result is the absence of checks and balances in Russia and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq.”

“I mean of Ukraine,” he said, pausing, then laughing. “Anyways, I’m 75,” Bush added after the gaffe while the audience laughed. . .

Back in 2003, Bush announced an invasion of Iraq called “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” In a televised address on March 19, 2003, Bush said the operation was meant to help the Iraqis “achieve a united, stable and free country.” (Read more from “Watch Neocon George Bush Condemn “The Decision of One Man to Launch a Wholly Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq” in Massive Gaffe” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Ukraine: Blundering Toward Apocalypse?

/0 Comments/in , /by

Having an open mind on the Ukraine situation earned me some gratuitous insults last week. Seems Putin (aka “Putrid”) is “exactly like Adolph Hitler” (which somehow means he wants to conquer Europe and put the communist Soviet Union & Eastern Block back together). And I am “exactly like Neville Chamberlain, willing to sell out your fellow man’s freedom for peace in our time.” An otherwise reasonable person wrote that. Guess I missed “Putrid” murdering millions in death camps. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky, aka Mr. Freedom, who has actual Nazi battalions in his army, banned a dozen dissident political parties and two TV stations.

The vibe around the Ukraine situation feels a lot like the vibe leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Dictator Saddam was portrayed as a middle-east Adolph Hitler, murdering babies, grave threat to the USA etc. We were lied to about the WMDs and alleged terror training camps. None existed. In fact, Saddam had Christians in his cabinet and was standing on the necks of the Jihadis, who were a threat to his rule. If he’d had WMDs he would’ve used them. Nothing to lose once the invasion started. Thanks to the Bush administration’s lies, over 6,000 American warriors died for nothing, 60,000 maimed, probably $10 Trillion wasted-stolen-pocketed, over $100,000 from each taxpaying American. Our invasion of Iraq caused vastly more death and destruction than Saddam ever did or ever would have. And hundreds of thousands of Christians were displaced, many of whom had their heads displaced, Christian communities destroyed that had survived for 2000 years in Iraq.

Back then, for questioning the Iraq invasion and subsequent corrupt “nationbuilding” quagmire, I was lumped in as “You, Dan Rather, Jane Fonda, and Tom Brokoff (sic).”

Once again, those who would save America First as a priority, who question the USA nannying the world while our country and economy are destroyed from within and invaded from without, are called disloyal, dismissed for being reticent to threaten and confront Russia over Ukraine, the assumption being that Russia’s nuclear capability is a bluff.

What if it’s not a bluff? What’s the cost to humanity? Our leaders have been very wrong about the thinking of nuclear powers in the past. See Catastrophic thinking on nuclear weapons, by Dominic Cummings, 3-18-2022[.]

Some conservatives (and all neo”conservatives”) say “we” should confront Putin. But “we” is the same Obama-Biden-Harris-Milley-Vanilli team they correctly ream for the disastrous Afghan withdrawal that left $80 billion in weapons for the terror sponsors we supposedly went in to oust 20 years ago, achieving nothing but another 6,000 dead and 60,000 maimed Americans and more trillions wasted-stolen-pocketed. Neo”cons” actually trust these clowns to confront a nuclear power in wartime as a co-belligerent without getting us all killed. And they call you a traitor if you question it. See Biden’s Reckless Words Underscore the Dangers of the U.S.’s Use of Ukraine As a Proxy War, by Glenn Greenwald, 3-27-2022[.]

The tens of trillions of dollars squandered by big government in wars, “nationbuilding”, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, blocking oil production, destroying small businesses, and paying people people not to work is the cause of the current inflation and $6 gasoline, crushing the middle & lower income classes.

It’s abundantly clear Obama-Biden-Harris-Clinton and their neo”con” allies provoked Russia’s invasion with their 2014 Ukrainian coup d’etat, threatening to put Ukraine in NATO, running bio-weapon labs in Ukraine etc. See Oliver Stone’s documentaries and any number of articles, including:

Professor John Mearsheimer Explains Who Is Responsible for the Ukraine-Russia Crisis

If our warmongers wanted to allow it, the crisis could still be ended by letting Ukraine become a neutral non-NATO country. Their goal is to sacrifice Ukraine as a tool for Russian regime change, further threatening Putin. And the sanctions are just as likely to exacerbate the war as end it. See Reporting from Moscow: Sanctions May Achieve the Opposite of Biden’s Stated Long-Term Goals, by Dimitri Simes Jr., 3-27-2022[.]

Finally, our “cheap labor” ruling elites are using the Ukraine crisis they provoked as an excuse to import millions of Ukrainian “refugees” even though Europe has already offered to take them all, thereby accelerating the already crushing hikes in our cost of land, gasoline, and “housing”.

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Missiles Fired at US Consulate in Iraq Reportedly Came From Iran

/0 Comments/in , /by

The United States may find itself involved in another foreign policy crisis. Reports, as well as video footage, have indicated that several long-range ballistic missiles have been fired at the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq. Writing for the Associated Press, Qassim Abdul-Zahra reported that at least six missiles have hit the consulate. Though reports are still coming in, with security officials from Iraq and the United States cited as saying there are no casualties at this time. . .

The Iran deal may have something to do with it:

One of the officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating.

The attack comes several days after an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack Wednesday and vowed revenge.

On Sunday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.

(Read more from “Missiles Fired at US Consulate in Iraq Reportedly Came From Iran” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Freak Accident: Chef Dies after Falling into Boiling Pot of Soup

/1 Comment/in , /by

An Iraqi cook in Iraq’s northern district of Zakho, affiliated to Dohuk governorate in the Kurdistan, died after slipping and falling into a huge pot filled with hot soup.

The cook was rushed to a Dohuk hospital to receive treatment for severe burns, but after several days of trying to save his life, the cook died on Monday, as a result of 3rd-degree burns over 70 per cent of his body. . .

In the details of the incident, which occurred last Tuesday in the Hazel wedding hall, according to the local health and security authorities in the area, the victim was preparing dinner for the guests of a wedding party, and while he was busy preparing food, he fell into a hot soup pot.

The strange incident sparked widespread grief in the Kurdish and Iraqi social media platforms, as many commentators stressed the need to double and observe preventive measures inside restaurants and kitchens. (Read more from “Freak Accident: Chef Dies after Falling into Boiling Pot of Soup” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

U.S. Troops In Iraq On High Alert After Biden’s Syria Airstrikes

/1 Comment/in , /by

In the aftermath of what has been denounced as “foolish military adventurism,” American forces in Iraq are now on high alert.

President Joe Biden, who had criticized former President Donald Trump for ordering attacks in Syria, sent U.S. jets to attack a site on the Syria side of the Iraq-Syria border, on Thursday. The strike was in retaliation for attacks by Iran-backed militia forces on bases in Iraq. One U.S. contractor was killed in those attacks. . .

U.S. contractors at Balad Air Base have been put on high alert amid fears that Biden’s limit airstrike that used seven 500-lb. laser-guided bombs will draw further retaliation, Fox News reported, citing as its source “two sources familiar with the move.” (Read more from “U.S. Troops In Iraq On High Alert After Biden’s Syria Airstrikes” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE and MeWe HERE

Rockets Targeted U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in Third Attack Since Truce

/1 Comment/in , /by

Iraqi security officials say at least three rockets landed in Baghdad’s Green Zone in an attack reported to be targeting the U.S. Embassy.

The rockets hit a residential complex inside the heavily fortified area, damaging buildings and cars but left no casualties, according to Reuters. The Iraqi military said an “outlaw group” fired the rockets on Sunday, causing sirens to blare from the embassy compound. One official, whose office is inside the Green Zone, said an anti-rocket system diverted one of the rockets.

The attack is the third on U.S. military and diplomatic infrastructure since an October truce that put an end to a year of roadside bomb attacks and rocket launches on foreign installations, according to Arab News, an English newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. (Read more from “Rockets Targeted U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in Third Attack Since Truce” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE