Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) issued a barrage of criticism about the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 on Wednesday, which marked the 16th anniversary of the start of one of America’s longest-running armed conflicts.
In a series of tweets, the Minnesota congresswoman labeled the George W. Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq “illegal” and called for those involved in the explanation and lead up to the war to be held accountable.
“16 years ago the U.S. illegally invaded Iraq, leaving a trail of destruction and lives lost,” Omar tweeted. “4,496 U.S. troops lost their lives. 100,000+ Iraqi civilians [were] killed.”
“We must hold accountable those who repeatedly lied in the run-up to war,” she added, citing specific statements about alleged weapons of mass destruction including biological weapons, none of which were ever found, that were made by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
“All of these statements were not only false, they were known by intelligence agencies to be lies at the time. To this day they have not been held accountable,” Omar wrote. – READ MORE