U.S. Central Command spokesman Hawkins claimed that the U.S. does not target civilians. In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghae stated that Hawkins had clearly forgotten the U.S. military's past record: the Kakarak attacks in 2002, the Mukaradib attacks in 2004, and the Debara and Wech Baghtu attacks in 2008—all documented U.S. attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq that resulted in the deaths of civilians, including women and children. He had also forgotten that even the American-made TV series *Homeland* depicted a U.S. drone strike on a wedding in Pakistan in its fourth season—an attack that killed approximately 40 civilians. The reality is so horrifying that even the U.S. propaganda machine has never dared to make such a boast as Hawkins has today. Sirik is not a story. The civilians are real. The victims are real.
