It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, January 03, 2020
UPDATED Gen. Qassim Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, has been killed
Top Iranian general confirmed dead in US airstrike, days after an embassy siege in Iraq
Members from Hashid Shaabi hold a portrait of Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Suleimani during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, March 31, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Iran's elite Quds force commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, was killed in an airstrike in Iraq on Thursday afternoon, according to the US military.
"At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," the Defense Department said in a statement.
"General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region," the statement said, adding that "this strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans."
Iran's elite Quds force commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, was killed in an airstrike in Iraq on Thursday afternoon, according to the US military.
"At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," the Defense Department said in a statement.
"General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region," the statement said, adding that "this strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans."
"The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world," the statement added.
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the Shiite Iran-backed militia responsible for the assault on the US embassy in Iraq earlier this week, was also killed in the airstrike, according to Iraqi state media. A senior Pentagon official told Newsweek that Muhandis and Soleimani were killed, and that DNA results were pending.
Protesters burn property in front of the US embassy compound, in Baghdad, Iraq, December 31, 2019. Associated Press/Khalid Mohammed
"The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani," Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, the Iran-backed umbrella paramilitary group, said in a statement, according to Reuters.
PMF sympathizers orchestrated the protests at the US embassy on New Years Eve, prompting the US to send in military reinforcements to secure the site. The attacks followed a rocket barrage on December 27, which killed one American contractor. The US responded to the attack with an airstrike that reportedly killed 25 militants.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday warned in a statement that the US "will not accept continued attacks against our personnel and forces in the region."
"Attacks against us will be met with responses in the time, manner, and place of our choosing," Esper said. "We urge the Iranian regime to end their malign activities."
Soleimani is designated by the US as a terrorist for his ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The elite Quds force, a branch of the IRGC, provided lethal aid to the Taliban and other extremist groups.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani stands at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province, March 8, 2015. Reuters
Who was Soleimani?
Qassem Soleimani commands the Quds force, a division of the IRGC trained in unconventional warfare beyond Iran's borders, including Syria and Iraq. His influence in the region has been met with consternation by US officials, who widely allege that his actions further destabilized the region.
Soleimani commanded the Quds force for over 20 years and has since provided military aid to militant groups designated as terrorist organizations, such as Hezhollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine. In 2007, the US designated Soleimani as a terrorist and imposed sanctions against him, pointing towards the roughly $100-$200 million that was provided to Hezbollah, and the military weapons that were provided to the Taliban.
"In addition, the [Quds] Force provides lethal support in the form of weapons, training, funding, and guidance to select groups of Iraqi Shi'a militants who target and kill Coalition and Iraqi forces and innocent Iraqi civilians," the US Treasury said in a statement in 2007.
Soleimani was also sanctioned in 2011, when the US discovered he was involved in a plot to kill a Saudi ambassador in Washington. Despite the sanctions and travel bans, Soleimani traveled throughout the world, including Russia, and met with senior officials.
‘An Explicit Act of War’: Senior Iranian Military Official Qasem Soleimani Reportedly Killed in Baghdad Drone Strike
A drone strike believed to be from the U.S. military at or near the Baghdad airport reportedly killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani, an act that observers warned could mark a significant step toward a hot war in the region.
Soleimani’s death was not confirmed at press time by either the U.S. or Iranian officials.
“The Trump administration just plunged the region into a likely massive sectarian and bloody crisis—and along with it, this country,” tweeted Al Jazeera journalist Sana Saeed. “Cautious to overstate the potential but it’s hard to ignore that targeting Soleimani is an explicit act of war.”
The Trump administration just plunged the region into a likely massive sectarian and bloody crisis – and along with it, this country. Cautious to overstate the potential but it’s hard to ignore that targeting Soleimani is an explicit act of war. https://t.co/wtv0SABazv
The strike came less than 24 hours after acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters that the U.S. military was willing and ready to undertake pre-emptive strikes against Iranian-backed militants in Iraq, a reaction to protests outside of the American embassy in Baghdad paralyzed the 104-acre complex.
“If we get word of attacks, we will take preemptive action as well to protect American forces, protect American lives,” said Esper. The game has changed.”
The strike killed five people, including the pro-Iranian chief of an umbrella group for Iraqi militias, Iraqi television reported and militia officials confirmed. The militia chief, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was a strongly pro-Iranian figure.
Journalist Rania Khalek took to social media to explain the situation and the context of Soleimani’s place in the Iranian military.
“Most Americans won’t understand the gravity of this,” said Khalek. “Qasem Soleimani is head of the Iranian IRGC’s elite Quds Force, which conducts operations outside of Iran in both Iraq and Syria.”
The National‘s deputy foreign editor Jack Moore described the importance of the strike as tantamount to Iran killing Gina Haspel.
“It’s like Iran killing the head of the CIA or the Mossad on foreign soil,” said Moore. “This isn’t just about Iraq.”
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