Apparently, while talking heads were debating whether or not the seige of the US embassy in Baghdad was Trump’s “Benghazi,” Gen. Qassim Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was planning a campaign to kill more Americans in Iraq. At the same time, the Pentagon, under the direction of President Trump, was planning a preemptive strike to take Soleimani out before he could carry out his plans.
US drone attack takes out Iran’s top general
On January 2, Soliemani was in a convoy leaving Baghdad’s international airport with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis when an American drone strike took out the convoy.
חיסול סולימאני | תמונות רכבו של סולימאני מזירת התקיפה ליד שדה התעופה בבגדאד@MosheBerkovitch pic.twitter.com/9F2oW8BYXP
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 3, 2020
Qassim Soleimani was the mastermind behind the attacks on the US in Iraq
According to the Epoch Times,
“Soleimani is considered the architect behind Iran’s elite Quds Force—an elite unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that is tasked with Iran’s extra-territorial military operations—including activities to expand Iranian influence in Syria and rocket attacks on Israel.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared Soliemani a martyr and threatened revenge on the US and Israel, though Israel did not participate in the airstrike. Khamenei declared that there would be three days of mourning for the martyr.
Soleimani was actively planning more attacks
Soleimani was behind the airstrike that killed an American contractor last week, and also the attack on the US embassy this week.
The Pentagon announced that,
“At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.”
US publicly warns Iran against further attacks
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been publicly warning the Iranians and the Iranian backed Iraqi militias that the US would take decisive action if they continued to attack US interests in Iraq. since last Friday when an American contractor was killed by an Iranian proxy Iraqi militia.
Timeline:
- December 27: Iranian backed Iraqi militia kills American in a rocket attack
- December 29: The US conducts airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah, a Shiite militia, in Syria and Iraq
- December 31: Hashed al-Shaabi, a pro-Iranian paramilitary group attacked the US embassy in Baghdad
- January 1: US regains control of the embassy after bringing in Marine reinforcements
- January 1: US State Department issues a level four advisory Do Not Travel to Iraq due to terrorism, armed conflict and kidnapping risk
- January 2: US targets and kills Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in airstrike
- January 3: Iranian Supreme leader promises retaliation
- January 3: US media and Democrats in Congress have a meltdown
Do not travel advisory
On January 1st, the US State Department issued a level 4 travel advisory: Do Not Travel due to a high risk of violence and kidnapping, On January 3rd, they advised all Americans to not approach the embassy in Baghdad and to get out of Iraq. The US Consulate General Erbil in northern Iraq, near Turkey, remains open and continues to provide aid to travelers.
This is a breaking news story.
Representative Dan Crenshaw talks about Soleimani. WATCH:
