Boris Johnson rejected a call from Donald Trump’s White House to participate in airstrikes in Iraq last March after an intervention by the UK government’s top legal officer, according to Dominic Cummings. Trump’s request came during “a completely surreal day” on 12 March last year at a time when concerns about coronavirus were escalating in Downing Street, which Cummings said “completely derailed” efforts to deal with the emerging pandemic. Defence sources said on Thursday there had been no need for the UK to join the bombing because the US had pressed ahead anyway. Jennifer Gibson, a lawyer with Reprieve, said: “According to the US’s own comments at the time, they didn’t have proof the Iranian group, Kataib Hezbollah, carried out the attack on the US base. “The coalition stands shoulder to shoulder in Iraq.

Source: The Guardian May 27, 2021 18:05 UTC