Iran General Soleimani assassinated in Baghdad

[SB Shock]

He was killed at the Baghdad airport. Also the Deputy commander for the Iraq Shia militia responsible for siege on the U.S. Embassy also reported killed.

[SB Shock]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/w...an-attack.html

The strikes followed a warning on Thursday afternoon from Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, who said the United States military would pre-emptively strike Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria if there were signs the paramilitary groups were planning more attacks against American bases and personnel in the region. “If we get word of attacks, we will take pre-emptive action as well to protect American forces, protect American lives,” Mr. Esper said. “The game has changed.”

If the reports prove true, the killing of General Suleimani would be a major blow for Iran.

American officials consider General Suleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers during the Iraq War and hostile Iranian activities throughout the Middle East.

[SB Shock]

Pentagon has now confirmed the airstrike. Iran response

Killing of General Qasem Sulaimani spells war. The official reaction will begin with a strike"

[wufan]

Whoa!

[ShockerPrez]

This will be interesting to see how this shakes out. I do find it a bit odd that the U.S. would assasinate a general in retaliation to an attack in which we suffered no casualties

We must have had some major intelligence regarding this guy escalating the aggression.

Other than that, I got nothin. Iran has to do something stupid now. I hope that it results in the Iranian people throwing these loons out once and for all and liberating themselves.

[SB Shock]

This will be interesting to see how this shakes out. I do find it a bit odd that the U.S. would assasinate a general in retaliation to an attack in which we suffered no casualties

We must have had some major intelligence regarding this guy escalating the aggression.

Other than that, I got nothin. Iran has to do something stupid now. I hope that it results in the Iranian people throwing these loons out once and for all and liberating themselves.

Soleimani has a lot of American blood on his hands in Iraq. Just recently there was the Kirkut attack (which an American was killed), the Embassy attack (which is an act of war). Then there was the Saudi oil attack, the oil tanker attacks, funding and supplying all the proxies from Hezbollah to the Houthis to the militias in Iraq/Syria.......

He obviously has been a potential target since 2000's (even Obama had put him on the terrorist list in 2011) and we have been tracking him. But no previous administration (Bush or Obama) would give permission to take him out, In 2008 Soleimani was next to Imad Mughniyeh (Islamic Jihad), but permission was not given to take out Mughniyeh until Soleiani had moved away out of harm's way.

My assumption is our intelligence picked up further planned attacks either on the embassy or military in the region and decided to take pre-emptive action.

Or it could be just Karma catching up with him.

[WuDrWu]

They were warned. They chose poorly.

[WuDrWu]

Not to dumb it down too much (for people like me) but the options are basically trying to talk and bribe them out of doing bad things or kill them. The former hasn't worked all that well. Let's try plan B for awhile. So far, good results.

[WuDrWu]

You kill an American, ANY American, and we don't come back with a proportional response, we come back with total disaster. (stolen)

[pinstripers]

Assassinated ?

[Kung Wu]

Why was an Iranian general in Iraq?

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Assassinated ?

I have this same question.

[ABC]

As a high school teacher of mine once said once in class, "Don't **** with the big boys."

[SB Shock]

Assassinated ?

1. to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a politically prominent person;

2. murder premeditatedly and treacherously.

3. to destroy or harm treacherously and viciously

[wufan]

Why was an Iranian general in Iraq?

I will probably eff this up, but I believe he worked with insurgents of one Muslim group in the region.