Doubt it? Let's just look at a few events in the first four months of 2013 when then-prime minister and forever thug Nouri al-Maliki was attacking peaceful protesters. January 7th, Nouri's forces assaulted four protesters in Mosul, January 24th, Nouri's forces sent two protesters (and one reporter) to the hospital, and March 8th, Nouri's force fired on protesters in Mosul killing three. All of that and more appeared to be a trial run for what was coming, the April 23rd massacre of a peaceful sit-in in Hawija which resulted from Nouri's federal forces storming in. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. AFP reported the death toll rose to 53 dead. UNICEF noted that the dead included 8 children (twelve more were injured).
Where was the US media? No where to be found. The government? A friend at the State Dept actually called me about the assault. That didn't mean they did anything. They didn't even issue a statement in defense of the protesters. Under 'duress,' they issued a 'we call on both sides' piece of b.s. statement.
But oil?
Oh, let's rush to war yet again for oil. We must protect the oil.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with no evidence, declared yesterday that Iran was responsible. Others have insisted the attack must have originated in Iraq.
It's empty talk. No one has proof of anything.
Despite this claim, Ret. Gen. Hertling said images "really don't show anything, other than pretty good accuracy on the strike of oil tanks. Ret. Adm. Kirby said "there is nothing I see in these pictures which confirms a launch from any particular location" https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/15/politics/iran-satellite-images-saudi-arabia-oil-attack/index.html …
With all the never-ending wars currently going on, you'd think people would be a little more careful with their accusations.
Good point from Gareth Porter. Meanwhile Sam Husseini (ANTIWAR.COM) notes Joe Biden's lies about the Iraq War:
At last night’s debate on ABC, Biden claimed that he voted for the Iraq invasion authorization to “to allow inspectors to go in to determine whether or not anything was being done with chemical weapons or nuclear weapons.”
But the congressional vote happened on October 11 (see Biden’s speech then). And by that time Iraq had agreed to allow weapons inspectors back in. On Sept. 16, 2002, the New York Times reported: “U.N. Inspectors Can Return Unconditionally, Iraq Says.” (This was immediately after a delegation organized by the Institute for Public Accuracy – where I work – had gone to Iraq.)
Isaiah's latest goes up after this. The following sites updated: