Clare Daly, Dublin politician, has said Ireland "has blood on our hands" for allowing the US military to use Shannon Airport, in County Clare, as a pitstop en route to the Middle East.
Dublin politician and Member of the European Parliament Clare Daly has warned that Ireland "has blood on our hands" by allowing the United States military to use Shannon Airport.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate in the aftermath of the assassination of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, and Daly claims that Ireland must seriously consider the role it played by allowing the US military to use Shannon as an operational pitstop for troops serving in the Middle East.
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Daly said she will seek an immediate discussion on America's use of the airport when the European Parliament convenes later this week.
Clearer then ever that Shannon must not be a stopping point for US Military ..... https://t.co/mmvcNPzEnn
— Alice Mary Higgins (@aliceeire) January 6, 2020
She went on to lambast the killing of Soleimani, describing it as "an outrageous murder" which was " in breach of all international law."
With an international conflict looming, and Iraq facing the prospect of another major war in its territory, Daly stressed that "Ireland will be complicit in these deaths while we continue to allow Shannon to be used as a stop-over point.”
Fellow MEP Mick Wallace echoed Daly's thoughts about Soleimani's death, calling the killing "nothing short of an act of terrorism.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has remained silent on the issue thus far, though British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has publicly stated that the UK "will not lament" Soleimani's passing.
Irish citizens living in Iraq have been advised to leave the country amid fears over their safety.
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