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On March 5th, three Katyusha rockets were fired towards the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. embassy and other missions, in the Iraqi capital, police sources said.
One rocket landed near the entrance of the Green Zone, the other near the Turkish embassy, the sources said, adding that the damage was unclear. A third rocket landed outside the zone.
On March 1st, two Katyusha rockets fell in the Green Zone, as well, and no casualties and damage were reported.
Separately, on March 3rd, at least one rocket reportedly hit he Al-Saddiq base in Iraq’s Salah ad-Din governorate north of Baghdad.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency citing an Iraqi officer, two Katyusha rockets landed in the camp, with no major damage or casualties, as per the immediate reports.
While the agency says it is unclear where the rockets were launched from, some of the initial reports suggested the projectiles came from an area controlled by Iran-backed militias.
There’s been occasional shelling of the Green Zone and US military bases, since on January 8th Iran launched a large number of ballistic missiles towards the al-Asad military base in Iraq, with the US initially reporting that there were no damages and injuries.
Since then, both damages and injuries have been proven and admitted in an ever-expanding tally.
Just days earlier, the Iraqi government voted a non-binding resolution to expel all foreign troops from Iraq, including those of the US.
Since then, the US has stuck to the fact that its “non-binding” and has said that it would not withdraw any of its troops. Since then, there have been reports that Germany, France and Australia have requested to withdraw their troops, which have been rebuked.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance’s defense ministers have, furthermore, agreed to enhance NATO’s training mission in Iraq by deploying even more troops.
Meanwhile, Iraq is experiencing a power vacuum as Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, who was designated to become prime minister with the support of Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, withdrew his candidacy March 2nd after he failed to form a government within the constitutionally mandated 30-day deadline.
It is possible that caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, could return to the Prime Minister seat.
However, Abdul Mahdi said March 2nd that he is taking a voluntary absence from the post.
Allawi’s failure resulted from a large front that formed against him and his supporters in parliament. Allawi only had the support of the Fatah Alliance —- the political wing of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) — and, initially, Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon Alliance.
“Some are trying to nominate candidates for the prime minister position who are accused of being involved in the [Jan. 3] US assassination of [Iranian Quds Force] commander Qasem Soleimani and PMU commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. This is a declaration of war against Iraqi people that will burn what remains of Iraq,” Abu Ali al-Askari, spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah, which is part of the PMU, tweeted March 2nd.
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keep at it and all of a sudden there will be hit right in the bulls eye, an ammo-depot or the us ambassadors head or some such vital point.
Well-said, kick the devils out!
Saddam trusted the US Zioterrorists and got thoroughly fucked, the Ziojews and Ziodi Arabia bombed his nuclear plant right under his nose, the current Iraqi establishment are following right on his footsteps.
Unfortunately most Iraqi security forces and their leaders are US puppets and that is why the resistance should quadruple and sharpen their hit & run attacks! Long live the resistance!
Does the PMU actually have ‘areas they control’ or do they just have bases here and there and occasionally go on anti-ISIS operations. They might be better off having formal areas, in that way they could setup checkpoints because truck based Katyusha rockets can be driven into an ‘area’ by road and then launched and then blamed on them. If they had an actual area, they could prevent that but I doubt it. non-binding resolution This is total BS, an invention by Pompeo. It’s true that Allawi was a ‘caretaker’ Prime Minister just like a VP ascending to President is a ‘caretaker’ President but he has all of the powers vested for that position and he had a quorum when the vote was taken. The non-binding is fake news.
if the houthis can get together a set of missiles and attack saudi over a long distance, then the pmu’s should be able to do the same – green zone should if not be obliterated at least seriously damaged. it will go a long way to kick the morons all the way back to where they came from – white trash from hillbilly states
The PMU and the Iraqi people should take a look over at Libya and see what the LNA are doing. Taking one’s country back from western pirates is possible once the majority get behind it.
Most Iraqi’s, much like everyone else, want a quiet life and are willing to endure some short term hardship should they be unable to escape it. However, it’s plain as day that the hardships for the Iraqi people will continue indefinitely and are not short term. They will last as long as Iraq has oil to steal and no cohesive army with which to defend itself.
The initial invasion of Iraq was illegal. The UN allowed the USadmin to break their own procedures which has caused all involved to also break international law. The Toady Blaaar had to rely on his spin doctors to cheat the British public of a rightful conviction. He is now persona non grata. The US doesn’t seem to be able to touch their warmongering miscreants so the Iraqi people should forget any hope of US citizens ever getting to grips with their own rogue state and calling an end to the purgatory in which the USadmin has forced all Iraqi’s to live.