Iran-Backed Militia Pledges ‘Open War’ With the U.S. Following Airstrike in Iraq. An airstrike against Iranian-backed militia’s drone bases in Syria and Iraq has drawn pledges of retaliation from Tehran and concern of overreach from Biden’s allies in Congress. US News.com By Paul D. Shinkman June 28, 2021 An Iranian-backed militia in Iraq pledged retaliation against the U.S. following President Joe Biden's decision to order airstrikes late Sunday against its drone bases – a move that has drawn concern from the commander in chief's allies at home over a perceived misuse of his authority. 😉 The militia group known as Hashd Al-Shaabi claimed four Iraqi fighters died in the strike, carried out by an American F-16 and two F-15 fighter jets Sunday night. It pledged Monday morning in a statement delivered by Iranian state media that it would "avenge the blood of our righteous martyrs and wreak vengeance on the perpetrators of this heinous crime." It said it would target American aircraft and launch missiles against U.S. bases in Iraq – a threat matching prior acts of aggression in response to the Trump administration's decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in early 2020 that brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of all-out war. The group is a part of the Iraqi militia force known as the Popular Mobilization Units that were instrumental in the ground campaign of the U.S.-led war against the Islamic State group. It stated it now "will enter an open war with the American occupation." A Defense Department spokeswoman said the U.S. had not yet completed an assessment of any potential civilian casualties, and declined to respond to the militia's threats. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed the attack in a statement Sunday night, describing two strikes in Syria and one in Iraq against facilities housing drones used by militias, including Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada to attack U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. Kirby described the attacks as "defensive precision airstrikes." "As demonstrated by this evening's strikes, President Biden has been clear that he will act to protect U.S. personnel. Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. interests in Iraq, the president directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks," Kirby said. "The United States took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation – but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message." The president ordered the attack under authorities granted to him by Article 2 of the Constitution allowing the commander in chief to order military action as a matter of self-defense. It comes as the administration desperately tries to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration and which Trump unilaterally left. Regardless of the Pentagon and White House's justification, several members of Congress questioned the legal authority of the strike, including some close allies of the president. Sen. Chris Murphy said in a terse statement that he expected the White House and military leaders to brief senior members of Congress about the strike Monday morning – implying few, if any, senior legislators knew about the attacks in advance. "There is no doubt that President Biden possesses the ability to defend our forces abroad, and I continue to trust inherently the national security instincts of this White House," the Connecticut Democrat said. "My concern is that the pace of activity directed at U.S. forces and the repeated retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxy forces are starting to look like what would qualify as a pattern of hostilities under the War Powers Act. Both the Constitution and the War Powers Act require the president to come to Congress for a war declaration under these circumstances." The concern comes as Congress has taken unprecedented steps to rein in the sweeping war powers it afforded the president in the days after the Sept. 11 attack. Those authorities to target al-Qaida and its supporters have faced criticism over the subsequent two decades, including President Barack Obama's employment of them to wage war in Syria against the Islamic State group, even though the extremist organization divorced itself from al-Qaida. Some analysts pointed to a rise in attacks by Iranian-backed groups against members of the U.S.-led coalition, stressing the need to restore deterrence against Tehran and its proxies. "Unless deterrence is restored, U.S. fatalities are increasingly likely," Michael Knights and Crispin Smith wrote in an analysis note published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Deterrence has very clearly deteriorated since January 2021, which may coincide with the end of the Trump administration's threat of disproportionate retaliation," they wrote."In the past, such escalation of indirect fire has typically resulted in U.S. deaths and has only stopped when deterrence was firmly re-imposed." Others say the strikes indicate the U.S. appears to be preparing for a protracted presence in Iraq, specifically that the Biden administration justified the strike through the president's constitutional powers – not the congressional authorizations the legislature is now reviewing. "What would bring strikes to an end? Either the U.S. or Iran capitulates and withdraws, or Iraq gains enough control over its sovereignty that such actions by either side become impossible," Gregory Brew, a fellow at Southern Methodist University's Center for Presidential History, wrote on Twitter. - Fair Use - Amir explains more on what happened with this recent U.S. strike Starts at 2:49 marker - 11:40 - Fair Use - Looks like they want us all to stay home this 4th of July weekend … hmmm perhaps the rapture will happen on the 4th? B-) Gas stations are running out of gas ahead of the holiday weekend. And 80 percent of 2021 peach crop destroyed by frost, Hungary :popcorn “Serious consequences”: U.S. war on Iran-backed militias escalates despite diplomacy with Tehran WashingtonTimes The Pentagon on Monday threatened Iran with “serious consequences” if it continues funding militias that target American troops in the Middle East, once again raising questions about President Biden’s compartmentalized strategy of negotiating with the Islamic republic on a new nuclear deal while waging war on paramilitary forces closely allied to Tehran. The Defense Department issued its warning less than 24 hours after the president ordered a series of airstrikes along the Iraq-Syria border against the Iraqi Shiite militias Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, which boast thousands of fighters and have routinely targeted U.S. personnel with drones, rockets and other weaponry. Pentagon officials said the groups have carried out at least five drone operations since April, along with numerous rocket attacks. Those assaults have continued even as U.S. and international diplomats work with Iran to reinstate an Obama-era deal that limited Tehran‘s nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief. President Trump repudiated that pact in 2018 partially because it did not address Iran‘s support of dangerous militias and its funding of major terrorist outfits. Despite its defense alliance with Washington, Iraq’s government condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty. Baghdad has long feared Iraq will wind up as the battleground if the U.S. and Iran come to blows. The semi-official umbrella organization for Iraq’s Shiite militia groups, known as the PMF, also harshly denounced the “sinful” attacks and said its members were at the border as part of the united fight against the Islamic State group. In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency, the PMF said four “martyrs” were killed in the U.S. strikes, a claim that could not be independently confirmed. Iran‘s financial and logistical support of such groups has been largely absent from the administration’s latest round of nuclear talks with Tehran in Geneva. But it has been increasingly difficult to separate the two issues, particularly as the Pentagon sharpens its rhetoric toward Iran and hostilities between the two sides threaten to overshadow diplomacy. The strikes Sunday “were necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation,” Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica McNulty said in a statement. “Through these and other means, we seek to make clear to Iran and Iran-backed militia groups that there will be serious consequences if they continue to attack, or to arm, fund and train militia groups that attack our people. We will take necessary and appropriate measures to defend U.S. personnel, partners and allies in the region. - Fair Use - And 80 percent of 2021 peach crop destroyed by frost, Hungary Ah, but not in Georgia! The peaches are excellent this year!
By Ben Wolfgang
6/28/21
