Iraqi Government Condemns Ongoing American Air Strikes

On Friday the 13th of March, the Iraqi government condemned a series of overnight American air strikes. The Iraqi military stated that the latest strikes killed six people, including a civilian worker, and described them as a violation of sovereignty and a targeted aggression against the regular armed forces of Iraq.

While Iraq is currently facing internal security issues, Iraqi President Barham Salih worries that foreign intervention will weaken the government, rather than strengthen it. Salih and other government officials fear that if American air strikes and other military action continue, Iraq could unravel into a failed state. If such an outcome were to occur, the resultant power vacuum would undoubtedly be filled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). As such, it is crucial that Iraq be allowed to resolve its internal issues without foreign military intervention. In a statement, Salih said, “The repeated violations the state is being subjected to are a dangerous and deliberate weakening of its abilities especially at a time when Iraq faces unprecedented challenges on political, economic, financial, security, and health fronts.” He went on to warn that if these ongoing security issues were not solved through government support, gains could occur for ISIL, as the terror group takes advantage of chaos.

The death toll from Friday’s air strike stands at 6. The Iraqi military reports that one civilian worker, three soldiers, and two police officers were killed by the strike, while four soldiers, two policemen, one civilian, and five militiamen were wounded. The response from the Iraqi government has been swift, with Iraq’s foreign minister summoning the ambassadors of the United States and the United Kingdom to discuss the event. In particular, a spokesman noted that measures regarding “the recent American aggression” will be discussed with the ambassadors.

The Pentagon justified the recent air strikes by claiming that they were “defensive precision strikes” against the facilities of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah. The strikes were conducted in response to a recent rocket barrage which killed two American troops and one British soldier. Al Jazeera’s Simona Foltyn reports that there has already been widespread condemnation of the attacks, and that this event is likely to re-ignite calls for the expulsion of U.S. troops from Iraq. Citing the military’s statement, Foltyn reported that “fatalities suggest that these air strikes were not as precise as the U.S. said that they were, and this is rather embarrassing for the U.S. because the Iraqi army and police are its partners under the coalition to fight ISIL.” Ultimately, it seems that this strike not only failed in its objective, but has further strained the already-frayed relationship between Iraq and the United States.

Ongoing American violation of Iraqi airspace and sovereignty is rapidly degrading the relationship which has been built up between the two nations following the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. Earlier this year, an American air strike in Iraq killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. In Iraq, this event was met with mass demonstrations and calls for the expulsion of all American troops from the nation. This latest series of air strikes will likely see more of the same. Ongoing American military intervention is causing the Iraqi people to feel disrespected, and is inflaming anti-American sentiment in the nation. If some sort of consensus cannot be reached between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, the situation is likely to deteriorate further. The people of Iraq are sick and tired of having their nation used as a battleground for ongoing regional conflict. It is time for their will to be respected.

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