The US administration is blackmailing Baghdad with bombing, demanding that the guilty of shelling the US armed forces be extradited.
A statement was made by US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Schenker at a briefing.
“Iraqi leadership has to make a choice. If the authorities do not work to punish those responsible for attacks on coalition forces deployed here at the invitation of Iraq, the United States will have to defend itself by taking proactive steps, ” a Washington official said.
He cited the assassination of Iranian general Kassem Suleimani, which almost provoked a new armed conflict in the Middle East, as examples of such “proactive” actions. It is noteworthy that the Pentagon had no evidence that Suleimani posed a threat to the United States.
“We will do as we feel comfortable,” Schenker continued. “We will be proactive in matters of our protection, the protection of our people and facilities.”
As News Front previously reported, the US military presence has recently turned into an escalation of tension for Iraq. At the end of last year, the US military base near Iraqi Kirkuk was shelled, which led to the death of an American citizen. In response, the American armed forces launched a punitive action by hitting the objects of the local Shiite formation. US actions have led to massive protests. It even reached the assault on the American embassy in Baghdad.
The situation worsened after the United States launched an air strike in Iraq, which killed Iranian General Kassem Suleimani. Then even the Iraqi authorities began to demand the withdrawal of Americans from the country. At the same time, shelling of US military facilities did not stop.