US Strikes Syrian Base With Over 50 Tomahawk Missiles (nbcnews.com)

mi writes: Two U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired 59 Tomahawk missiles intended for a single target -- Shayrat Airfield in Homs province in western Syria, the Defense Department said. That's the airfield from which the United States believes the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired chemical weapons on Tuesday. There was no immediate word on casualties. U.S. officials told NBC News that people were not targeted and that aircraft and infrastructure at the site, including the runway, were hit. Slashdot reader Humbubba shares a similar report from Washington Post, adding that Thursday's strike was the "first direct American assault on the government of President Bashar al-Assad since that country's civil war began six years ago." The report also notes that the strike "dramatically expands U.S. military involvement in Syria and exposes the United States to heightened risk of direct confrontation with Russia and Iran, both backing Assad in his attempt to crush his opposition."

Comments

Re:More US warmongering

[NoNonAlphaCharsHere]

Obama's "cutting and running out of Iraq ASAP" was the result of an agreement with the Iraqi government that George W. Bush's administration put into place. Obama could either "cut and run", or he could place US troops in Iraq under Iraqi liability for war crimes.

The "creation of the power vacuum" was actually the result of Donald Rumsfeld PERSONALLY and UNILATERALLY deciding to disband the Republican Guard, rather than turn them into local peacekeepers. THAT SINGLE ACTION was what created the Iraqi insurgency and ISIS.

Sorry to disturb your narrative with facts.

Re: More US warmongering

[Nidi62]

Obama pulled them out on the timetable that was agreed upon by Bush and the Iraqi government. Iraq would not allow an extension for a large number of troops with immunity as the US demanded.

Re:More US warmongering

[Dorianny]

The U.S withdrew because their Iraqi government wanted the U.S out so they could crack down with impunity on the Suni population. They did so by refusing to renew the agreement that kept U.S troops under U.S jurisdiction. The eventual crackdown and the dissatisfaction of the Suni population is what led to the spectacular collapse of the Iraqi force in Suni territories, ceding of half the country to ISIS.

It wasn't that the Iraqi troops were afraid of the small group of ISIS fighters comping from Syria, but they knew that the minute they showed up the Suni population was going to rise up against them and they would find themselves sourrounded, outnumbered and cut off from their supply lines

Re:$93.8M of my tax dollars

[AmiMoJo]

This is how it works now. Lies are not as effective as false narratives, so you mostly see false narratives trending. They are harder to refute, and more convincing.