White House Taking Iran-Backed Attacks on Its Iraq-Based Forces ‘Extremely Seriously’
Voice of AmericaJan 21
Iraq: US Troops Being Examined for Brain Injuries After Militia Attack
The Facts
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that several American personnel stationed in Iraq are undergoing traumatic brain injury evaluations following an attack targeting the al-Asad air base on Saturday that reportedly wounded an Iraqi service member, adding that damages were still being assessed.
The Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance Iraq umbrella group has claimed responsibility for the barrage of rockets and missiles launched against the base hosting US soldiers in the western province of Anbar, alleging that the attack was conducted in retaliation for US support for Israel in the ongoing Gaza war.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Americans must be assured that the Biden administration will not allow this extremely serious ballistic missile attack on a base that hosts its troops to go unanswered. As Iran-backed militias have ramped up their attacks, so will the US to establish deterrence and to hold such groups accountable for their wrongdoing.
Republican narrative
As the commander-in-chief of the US, Joe Biden should have done better to protect troops overseas from enemy assaults. He may well have thought that retaliating Iran-backed militias would be enough to restore deterrence, but by now it's clear that such moves have failed to achieve that goal. America must change its focus to the instigator of all these attacks and make Iran pay for its actions.
Pro-Iran narrative
Iran has nothing to do with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, thus it has nothing to do with the repeated attacks that Iraqi resistance groups have launched against US bases and facilities recently. US officials must realize that they are ultimately responsible for this escalation of violence, as their choice to support the Israeli massacre in Gaza has fueled anti-American sentiment in the region.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that the US and Iran will be primary actors on opposite sides of a war before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.