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Iran’s General Soleimani Killed in US Airstrike at Baghdad Airport

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The Pentagon said on Thursday night that the US had carried out a military strike that resulted in death of the commander of Iran’s Quds Force. Iraqi television and three Iraqi officials confirmed the death of  General Qassem Soleimani who was also the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). 

Edited by: TJV News

AP reported that two militia leaders loyal to Iran also confirmed the deaths, including an official with the Kataeb Hezbollah, which was involved in the attack on the U.S. embassy this week. 

Also killed in the attack at Baghdad International Airport early Friday was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). 

A security official confirmed that seven people were killed in the attack on the airport, describing it as an airstrike, according to the AP report, Earlier, Iraq’s Security Media Cell, which releases information regarding Iraqi security, said Katyusha rockets landed near the airport’s cargo hall, killing several people and setting two cars on fire. 

CNN reported that President Trump ordered the strike which was aimed at  “deterring future Iranian attack plans.”

In a statement, the Pentagon said the US had taken “decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad” by killing Soleimani, who heads what the US describes as a foreign terrorist organization.

“This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans,” the statement said. “The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”

According to the Pentagon, Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”

CNN reported that Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members, and the wounding of thousands more, the Pentagon added. The Pentagon also blamed Soleimani for orchestrating attacks on coalition bases in Iraq in recent months, including an attack on December 27 that culminated in the deaths of additional American and Iraqi personnel, as was reported by CNN. 

AP reported that the attack came amid tensions with the United States after a New Year’s Eve attack by Iran-backed militias on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The two-day embassy attack which ended Wednesday prompted President Trump to order about 750 U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East.

AP reported that their deaths are a potential turning point in the Middle East and are expected to draw severe retaliation from Iran and the forces it backs in the Middle East against Israel and American interests. The PMF blamed the United States for the attack.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said al-Muhandis had arrived to the airport in a convoy to receive Soleimani whose plane had arrived from either Lebanon or Syria, as was reported by the AP. The airstrike occurred as soon as he descended from the plane to be greeted by al-Muhandis and his companions, killing them all. 

The PMF was created in 2014 to fight ISIS. CNN reported that it is a Shia paramilitary force made up of former militias with close ties to Iran. It was recognized under a 2016 Iraqi law as an independent military force that answers directly to the prime minister, according to the CNN report.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday that “the game has changed.” He told reporters that violent acts by Iran-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq — including the rocket attack on Dec. 27 that killed one American — will be met with U.S. military force.

CNN reported that he said the Iraqi government has fallen short of its obligation to defend its American partner in the attack on the U.S. embassy.

The developments also represent a major downturn in Iraq-U.S. relations that could further undermine U.S. influence in the region, American troops in Iraq and weaken Washington’s hand in its pressure campaign against Iran.

 

 

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