By David Kamioner | December 31, 2019
Due to the brave and efficient work of American security forces and U.S. Marine guards, crowds of Iraqi nationals — many in militia uniforms — were on Tuesday repulsed in their attempt to take over the American Embassy in Baghdad, Fox News and other outlets are reporting.
The violent protests apparently were orchestrated by Iran — in retaliation for a successful U.S. airstrike on an Iranian-backed militia group on Sunday.
The embassy attack was “one of the worst in recent memory,” noted Fox News.
Protesters managed to get past some initial security checkpoints.
They vandalized certain parts of the embassy compound.
But U.S. officials stressed the embassy has not been evacuated, sensitive data has not been compromised, and the ambassador, who is out of the country on a previously scheduled vacation, is safe.
President Donald Trump reacted strongly to the events in this tweet.
See it here:
Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019
If the militia group had been successful in the attack on the embassy, this turn of events could have been reminiscent of the Iranian hostage situation that lasted from late 1979 until the day in January 1981 that President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.
The radical Islamist Iranian government held 51 U.S. diplomatic hostages during the latter days of the Jimmy Carter administration.
The resulting national security and diplomatic fallout, not to mention a failed rescue attempt, are considered major factors in Carter’s landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in the presidential election of November 1980.
Back during his 2016 election campaign, President Trump warned about the folly of the Iraqi adventure.
And he’s made efforts to draw down the American presence in the strife-torn nation.
“Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) took to Twitter early on Tuesday and said Iran was directly responsible for orchestrating the breach. There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon and the State Department,” Fox News noted.
“But U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Sunday’s strikes send the message that the U.S. will not tolerate actions by Iran that jeopardize American lives.”
The government of Iraq sent out this tweet below this morning in response to the violence.
PM @AdilAbdAlMahdi: While we condemn the US air strikes on Iraqi military units, and acknowledge that symbolic funeral marches for the martyrs is a solemn act of remembrance, those taking part must stay away from diplomatic buildings and compounds.
— Government of Iraq – الحكومة العراقية (@IraqiGovt) December 31, 2019
In it, the Iranian-sponsored militias the U.S. attacked in airstrikes are termed “Iraqi military units.”
This is how out-of-control our effort has become in Iraq. The government there, a regime the U.S. funds and defends, is making common cause with Iran against the United States. The president is completely justified in extricating our forces there from such an endless quagmire.
This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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