No Iran threat in Syria or Iraq, top British officer says, contradicting US

[babylonsister]

No Iran threat in Syria or Iraq, top British officer says, contradicting US
Deputy commander of anti-Isis coalition rebuts White House justification for sending troops
Julian Borger in Washington
Tue 14 May 2019 13.32 EDT


The top British general in the US-led coalition against Isis has said there is no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq or Syria, directly contradicting US assertions used to justify a military buildup in the region.

Maj Gen Christopher Ghika, who is a deputy commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition conducting counter-terrorist operations against Isis in Iraq and Syria, was repeatedly questioned by reporters about the threat from Shia militias in Syria and Iraq, cited by US officials over the past week as justification for speeding up the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group in the Gulf and for sending B-52 Stratofortress bombers and an anti-aircraft battery to the region.

“No – there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” Ghika said in a videolink briefing from Baghdad to the Pentagon. “We’re aware of that presence, clearly. And we monitor them along with a whole range of others because that’s the environment we’re in. We are monitoring the Shia militia groups. I think you’re referring to carefully and if the threat level seems to go up then we’ll raise our force protection measures accordingly.”

The general’s comments are likely to heighten concerns that fabricated or exaggerated intelligence may be being used by administration hawks led by the national security adviser, John Bolton, to further the case for war against Iran, in a manner reminiscent of the buildup to the Iraq invasion.

more...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/no-iran-threat-in-syria-or-iraq-says-top-british-officer-in-defiance-of-us?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=fb_us&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2W7bhXnzPPbFvFFYInclZL8phweMwwHmhjouqgCV544Cpuf_Z0aMuP1FQ#Echobox=1557856318

[malaise]

1. Give thank for the rest of the planet

Would be nice if MI5 threw him in the Tower of London on that trip -and then parade him from the top floor (cameras rolling) wearing a crown marked the Naked Emperor Who Wanted to be King.

[democratisphere]

2. drumpf fabricating phony intelligence in an attempt to legitimize

a diversionary war. Everything continues to be a lie and fraud.

[Scurrilous]

3. K&R

[dhol82]

4. Have they brought up the WMD yet?

That’s what got us into the current mess that can’t go away.

[sarabelle]

5. Don't worry ...we will fake an attack.

Or the IDF will.

[MFGsunny]

6. Imagine our surprise! NOT.

Just a DEAD-BOLTon nightmare that lives on and on and on = more PNAC bullshit.

[EX500rider]

7. Headline does not quite match the quote...

...he said "there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” , not there is no threat.