US official to Al Mayadeen: 118 operations on US bases in Syria & Iraq

By Al Mayadeen English
3 Jan 2024 12:17
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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has been targeting US occupation bases in Iraq and Syria since October 17 and has so far conducted 118 operations.

A screenshot from a video released by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq ahead of the commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the martyrdom of the leaders Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Hajj Qassem Soleimani on January 2, 2024. (Military media)

A US military official told Al Mayadeen that US occupation forces in Syria and Iraq have been subjected to at least 118 attacks since October 17.

Since that date, 10 days after the launch of Operation Al Aqsa Flood, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has been targeting US occupation bases in the two countries and has confirmed in its statements, that the strikes are an effort to end the US illegal presence in the region and come in support of the steadfast Resistance in Palestine.

According to statements, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has so far targeted a number of US bases including Ain al-Assad, Kharab al-Jir, al-Shaddadi, Harir, al-Tanf, Rmelan, al-Malikiyah, and near the Conoco and al-Omar fields, in addition to US occupation forces near the Erbil airport and in the Green Village.

The operations were conducted by using a variety of drones and rockets which targeted specific locations and hit their targets.

This comes amid a rift in the US between those who seek to withdraw forces from the region and those who insist on keeping them despite the continuous hits and losses of lives and injuries that are anticipated with the ongoing escalations.

Keeping US forces in Iraq & Syria could lead to 'catastrophic' losses

The American Conservative published a report by Dan Caldwell entitled Our National Disgrace in Iraq and Syria, in which it said that US forces were risking their lives "needlessly" due to "policy paralysis and lack of political courage."

The magazine reported that when Greg Carlstrom, an economist, interviewed an American diplomat last year, he asked him about the Biden administration’s policy in Syria, and in response, the official "shrugged and laughed."

Carlstrom then underscored that "One group certainly not laughing about President Biden’s Syria policy (or lack thereof) is the over 70 US troops injured" after attacks started raining in on US bases in Syria and Iraq, especially since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

Rather, the report highlighted that the presence of US occupation forces in Syria and Iraq "risks a catastrophic loss of American life that could escalate into a major war."

Moreover, it was noted that the fact that a number of US policymakers insisted on "sustaining" these existing policies "is a national disgrace."

The publication stressed, "Policy inertia and political cowardice have condemned American service members in Iraq and Syria" saying the forced served "as soft targets for those looking to punish the US." In short, Carlstorm stated that "withdrawal is the only path forward that prioritizes both American lives and interests."