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US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday blatantly dodged a question on whether his country violated the rules-based international order through its invasion of Iraq under the Bush administration in 2003.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 under the pretext of Baghdad possessing weapons of mass destruction, though none were found in its arsenal. The claims were made by the CIA.

"We can go down the historical rabbit hole, but I will try, and we'll try and finish up here," Price told a press briefing upon being asked about the war on Iraq.

The question came after Price said, "The rules-based international order is agnostic as to the country behind it, and it applies equally to the United States as it does to any other country." 

The statement came in response to media reports about Turkey shelling northern Iraq earlier in the day.

At least six foreign tourists were killed and 26 others were injured after the Turkish military shelled the Zakho resort town in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The invasion of Iraq was led and conducted by Washington alongside its allies, alleging that then-President Saddam Hussein's government had links to international terrorism. The invasion was not approved by the United Nations.

The illegal war saw the United States occupation forces committing various war crimes, from destroying baby formula factories, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without access to their nutrition needs, to torturing prisoners of war and mass murdering civilians.

The US still occupies Iraq to this day, maintaining a military presence in the country through numerous military bases under the pretext of "combatting terrorism".