New rocket attack hits Iraqi base hosting U.S. trainers; media strangely silent
Yesterday, eight Katyusha rockets were fired on Balad air base in northern Iraq which often hosts hosts American trainers, advisers and a company that provides maintenance services for F-16 aircraft.
The base is about 50 miles north of Baghdad.
According to the New York Times, the Iraqi military said four Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the attack, two of whom were officers.
There were no reports of U.S. casualties, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Oddly.
Nothing to see here. Move right along.
In fact, the attack caused hardly a ripple in the media. Contrast that to last week, when Iran fired missiles on two bases in Iraq. You would have thought World War III was imminent – Trump’s fault of course — after Iran launched 15 missiles, of which 11 hit their targets and four failed in flight.
As we reported here, it seems Iran may have been aiming to miss.
However, Iran had somewhat better aim when it shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, supposedly mistaking it for a “cruise missile.” All 176 crew and passengers on board the Tehran to Kiev flight were killed when the plane was shot down less than 10 minutes after take-off.
Almost half the passengers (82) were Iranian. Sixty-three were Canadian, and there were no U.S. citizens among those killed.
For several days, Iran maintained there was no evidence one of its own missiles had taken down the plane, but finally had to come clean about the gigantic “oops” after mounting pressure from Canada and Ukraine.
Iran’s foreign minister, Mohamad Javad Zarif, tweeted his apology, but of course blamed Trump for the mistake.
A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces:
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2020
Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster
Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.
💔
Iran’s “own goal” may have even larger ramifications as anti-government protests have broken out in Tehran
The UK Independent reports, "Thousands of protesters braved the threat of violent repression or incarceration amid a heavy riot police presence in several cities, many demanding the resignation of president Hassan Rouhani and criticising Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with chants of “death to the dictator."
"In Tehran, sizeable crowds overcame authorities’ efforts to block off Azadi (Freedom) Square. Security forces later resorted to tear gassing those assembled there. Some violence broke out in the square as special forces and militia members attacked protesters and fired rubber bullets."
Wow: “[Qassem] Soleimani is a murderer; his leader (Khamenei) is a traitor,” they chant at Sharif University in Tehran, Iran pic.twitter.com/aqPJJcqJva
— Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) January 11, 2020
Huh. "Soleimani is a murderer?" Contrast that to how he was eulogized by the media and Democrats after the drone strike. Have you seen much in the mainstream media about these Iran protests? Neither have we.
Meanwhile in Iran, "social media footage showed protesters taking pains not to step on American and Israeli flags painted on a walkway, with others chanting: “Our enemy is right here, they are lying that it’s America.”
Whoa.
In the months before Soleimani’s killing, there were widespread protests against the regime — of course we didn’t hear much about that either, partly because Western media isn’t that interested, and partly because Iran cracked down on protestors.
Per the Independent, "Sparked by opposition to a fuel price hike amid dangerously punitive US sanctions, the protests grew into a major revolt against corruption, poverty and the regime’s incorrigible nature."
"The government’s brutal attempts at repression are believed to have taken the lives of between 300 and 1,500 people, but an internet shutdown obscured much about the protests, including their death toll."
It would be pretty ironic if Iran’s tragic blunder ended up taking down its own brutal regime.
Karma is a b*tch.
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