THE U.S. DID not notify the Iraqi government before conducting airstrikes in the country on Friday, contrary to an assertion by the White House that it did.
During a press call on Friday, White House national security spokesperson retired Adm. John Kirby saidOpens in a new tab, “We did inform the Iraqi government prior to the strikes occurring.”
On Monday, in response to questions from The Intercept, the White House said the Iraqis had not gotten advance warning of the strikes.
“For operational security, we did not provide any kind of official pre-notification with specific details on these strikes,” a National Security Council spokesperson acknowledged.
During Monday’s State Department press briefing, spokesperson Vedant Patel also acknowledged the Iraqis had not gotten a warning. (The State Department had reffered The Intercept’s questions to the White House.)
Hellbound and Down 