American UAVs flying over Baghdad after pledges to attack Iraq
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The United States violates Iraq's sovereignty, sending three UAVs to fly over the Green Zone in the capital of Baghdad.
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Major General Joel Vowell, center, leaves after the first round of the negotiations between Iraq and the United States to end the International Coalition mission in Baghdad, Iraq, January 27, 2024 (AP)
Al Mayadeen captured footage on Friday of three US drones flying over the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
An Al Mayadeen correspondent in Baghdad, Abdullah Badran, pointed out that three UAVs were flying over the heart of Baghdad, the Green Zone, which houses the Prime Minister's office, Parliament, diplomatic missions, the Defense Ministry, and other key government ministries and institutions.
كاميرا #الميادين توثق تحليق 3 مسيّرات أميركية في أجواء العاصمة العراقية #بغداد
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) February 2, 2024
مدير مكتب الميادين في بغداد عبدالله بدران#العراق pic.twitter.com/MeMQzQGFmc
Badran suggested that this meant the United States was acting in Iraq under the pretext of the international coalition to combat ISIS, which it has been playing another undisclosed role under.
Commenting on the purpose of the US drones flying in the skies of Baghdad, Badran states that it is likely these aircraft are being used in reconnaissance operations as part of the US forces' preparations for attacks on Baghdad in response to the killing of three US personnel in Jordan in an operation they claim to have been carried out by the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah Resistance faction.
The Pentagon said the attack that killed three US soldiers and wounded more than 40 others in Jordan "carried the footprints" of Kataib Hezbollah.
"We don't seek war, but we will take action, and respond to attacks on our forces," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
The Pentagon added that while it would not disclose the nature of the response to the operation that targeted the US forces, "We consider Iran responsible for them."
Later on, US President Joe Biden revealed that he had reached a decision on how to respond to the drone strike, though he emphasized that he did not want to escalate the situation into a broader regional war.
Meanwhile, Politico reported Tuesday on the post-strike confusion and consequent warmongering in the US bureaucracy following the Resistance operation. Notably, the report highlights that the Biden administration's response will be multi-tiered.
Politico deems it likely that the US retaliation will not be a "massive show of force" but would rather manifest as "several rounds of action."
"Actions may be tiered. We may see several rounds of action," an anonymous official in the Biden administration told NatSec Daily earlier.
Politico notes that US strikes against Resistance groups, namely the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have failed to deter them. The Resistance groups in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon have remained committed to building up pressure on "Israel" and the US to concede to a ceasefire in Gaza despite the grave casualties the respective groups have been subjected to.
The Politico report remarks that the US aggression "[has] yet to deter these groups from targeting American forces, and it’s increasingly looking like a wider war will break out, if it hasn’t already."
