Shadowy Iranian general behind elite Quds terror force killed in Baghdad

[cc]

Soleimani was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds Force – which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007, and is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its "shadow commander" or "spymaster."



"Soleimani is our leader" had been photographed spray-painted on windows by Iran-backed militiamen at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.



The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, three Iraqi officials told The Associated Press. Iraqi TV reported the deaths as well.



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.



An 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. The airstrike occurred as soon as he descended from the plane to be greeted by al-Muhandis and his companions, killing them all.





[Note cc: Quds has by far largest number of terrorists and is the largest and most effective terror organization in the world .. dwarfing Al Quaida

Soleimani has lead it for a very long time ... may have initiated it .. not quite sure

This is part of and result of Iran lead and Iran manned attack on the American embassy yesterday  .. no doubt ordered by Soleimani



If there was ever any doubt that Iran is leading problems in Iraq, this fellow landing at Baghdad airport today should make that clear]

[Anonymous]

Soleimani was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds Force – which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007, and is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its "shadow commander" or "spymaster."



"Soleimani is our leader" had been photographed spray-painted on windows by Iran-backed militiamen at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.



The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, three Iraqi officials told The Associated Press. Iraqi TV reported the deaths as well.



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.



An 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. The airstrike occurred as soon as he descended from the plane to be greeted by al-Muhandis and his companions, killing them all.





[Note cc: Quds has by far largest number of terrorists and is the largest and most effective terror organization in the world .. dwarfing Al Quaida

Soleimani has lead it for a very long time ... may have initiated it .. not quite sure

This is part of and result of Iran lead and Iran manned attack on the American embassy yesterday  .. no doubt ordered by Soleimani



If there was ever any doubt that Iran is leading problems in Iraq, this fellow landing at Bagdhad airport today should make that clear]

I saw the breaking news on this. They didn't say who was behind it though.

[cc]

Not yet acknowledged .. but has to be US  ..... The attack by Iranians on Americans a few days ago followed by attack on Embassy by Iranians were the triggers



they took opportunity  justified by 2 Iranian attacks in 2 days & offed the 2 top Iranian leaders who were spewing terrorism through iraq and elsewhere

Their deaths are a potential turning point in the Middle East and if the U.S. carried them out, it represents a drastic change for American policy toward Iran after months of tensions.



Tehran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and seized oil tankers. Meanwhile, the U.S. blames Iran for a series of attacks targeting tankers, as well as a September assault on Saudi Arabia's oil industry that temporarily halved its production.



The tensions take root in Trump's decision in May 2018 to withdraw the U.S. from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor.

He was behind all Iranian help (weaponry and direct assistance) that resulted in many 100s of US deaths in Iraq

[Odinson]

Sounds like a guy who had it coming.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a guy who had it coming.

I am still reading all I can first.

[cc]

This guy has been known terror leader for at least 15 years



They have also arrested several other Pro-Iran Militia Behind Attack On Embassy  .. and killed one alongside the Iranian



Iran forgot when it attacked another US Embassy .... . It ain't Jimmy Carter anymore .. "This was [a response to] Iranian aggression against us. This was Iranian strategy, Iranian money, Iranian proxies that put American lives in jeopardy and the president very quickly acted,"

[Anonymous]

This guy has been known terror leader for at least 15 years



They have also arrested several other Pro-Iran Militia Behind Attack On Embassy  .. and killed one alongside the Iranian



Iran forgot when it attacked another US Embassy .... . It ain't Jimmy Carter anymore .. "This was [a response to] Iranian aggression against us. This was Iranian strategy, Iranian money, Iranian proxies that put American lives in jeopardy and the president very quickly acted,"

What was he doing in Baghdad?

[Anonymous]

https://scontent.fyka1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/82490380_1434489356731688_4837186314161881088_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ohc=d_HxedpBGi0AQngt_9SAyaaGQvdiooESsXaU5cr_GipAd9UjHp_O9royA&_nc_ht=scontent.fyka1-1.fna&oh=98532fbe3363861102f71862c452e3f7&oe=5EB05B50">

[Anonymous]

Attack on Iran's terror chief justifiable



Iran's "terrorist-in-chief," Gen. Qassem Soleimani, was killed in an overnight explosion in Iraq Friday.



The U.S. administration confirms the explosion was the result of an american rocket attack.



While the reaction among many anti-u.s. and anti-Donald Trump personalities on social media was predictable (outrage) and apoplectic (the end of days), the truth is a bit more pedestrian.



Soleimani was the commander-in-chief of Iran's Quds Force – officially the "international wing" of Iran's revolutionary Guard Corps.



Why does Iran's revolutionary Guard need an international wing? to direct and execute terrorist operations abroad, of course.



As the man calling the shots in Iran's long-lasting and ongoing international terror operations, Soleimani was a righteous target.



Making him even more so was the fact he was killed in Baghdad less than two days after rocket attacks against the u.s. embassy there killed an american.



Why was Soleimani in Baghdad — the capital city of Iran's greatest regional nemesis — at the time?



The new year's Eve attack on u.s. diplomats and their security forces is generally being blamed on Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — directly or indirectly, through complicity.



Although the PMF are nominally part of Iraq's security infrastructure, they're Shia militias overtly backed by Iran — a de facto arm of the Quds Force Soleimani commanded.



Will this unleash an immediate backlash from Iran? no doubt.



But it's important to remember this targeted attack against the mastermind of Iran's international terror operations was the retaliation — not the provocation.



Iran has been poking the american bear with increasingly sharp sticks for some time, teasing out where the line in the sand might be.



Thursday night they found it.



Was this an illegal attack, as some Henny Pennys on twitter claim? no.



Soleimani is a combatant, not a politician. He commands the Iranian unit directly responsible for multiple attacks on the u.s. and its western allies. that makes him a bonafide military target.



He isn't the equivalent of u.s. Vice-president Mike Pence — a civilian politician. Soleimani is a military general and a combatant.



There is no u.s. prohibition on this direct action. nor does it violate international laws of armed combat.



In the u.s., only Congress can declare war. But recent american law has established that the president can order drone strikes against targets in foreign countries. President Barack Obama was the first to do so on an industrial scale.



U.S. law prohibits the assassination of a foreign leader. But, once again, Soleimani was not a head of state — even if he once bragged to an american general he was more powerful than Iran's president.



One thing is certain. Whoever takes Soleimani's place as Iran's new terror chief — and all those working under him — will have some sleepless nights now that it has been demonstrated they aren't safe from the consequences of their actions.

[Anonymous]

Trump right to kill master terrorist



U.S. President Donald Trump had every right to order the drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq on Friday.



Soleimani, the second most powerful figure in Iran behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was the mastermind behind Iran's sponsorship of global terrorism, planning and carrying out attacks on U.S. servicemen, diplomats and innocent civilians throughout the Mideast.



Canada views Soleimani's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force as a terrorist organization.



Public Safety Canada describes it as "the clandestine branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for exporting" the Iranian Revolution globally, "through activities such as facilitating terrorist operations" by providing "arms, funding and paramilitary training to extremist groups including the Taliban, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad ..."



Trump haters will, of course, accuse the American president of destabilizing the Mideast and trying to detract attention from his upcoming impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate — where the Republican majority controls the outcome, meaning Trump in fact has very little to worry about.



As for Trump's decision to assassinate Soleimani, the targeted killing of terrorists that pose a threat to U.S. security in the Mideast — especially by drone strikes — has been the policy of American presidents since 9/11, not just by George W. Bush, but, to a much greater extent, by Barack Obama.



The bottom line here is that Trump has eliminated a known terrorist threat, not just to the U.S., but to America's allies as well, including Canada.



That said, while Iran and Iraq are historic enemies in the Mideast, the fact the U.S. carried out the drone strike on a convoy of cars containing Soleimani near Baghdad's airport has angered the Iraqi government as a violation of its territorial integrity.



Meanwhile, Iran's Khamenei is vowing vengeance on the U.S. (translation, more terrorist attacks) which could include operations against American allies like Canada, which currently has hundreds of troops, as well as diplomats, stationed in Iraq.



Their safety should be the Trudeau government's primary concern.



Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-philippe Champagne on Friday called for all sides in the region to exercise restraint, while noting Canada considered Soleimani and his Quds Force to be a destabilizing factor both in the Mideast and globally.



Indeed, that's exactly what he was.

[Anonymous]

Trump right to kill master terrorist



U.S. President Donald Trump had every right to order the drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq on Friday.



Soleimani, the second most powerful figure in Iran behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was the mastermind behind Iran's sponsorship of global terrorism, planning and carrying out attacks on U.S. servicemen, diplomats and innocent civilians throughout the Mideast.



Canada views Soleimani's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force as a terrorist organization.



Public Safety Canada describes it as "the clandestine branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for exporting" the Iranian Revolution globally, "through activities such as facilitating terrorist operations" by providing "arms, funding and paramilitary training to extremist groups including the Taliban, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad ..."



Trump haters will, of course, accuse the American president of destabilizing the Mideast and trying to detract attention from his upcoming impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate — where the Republican majority controls the outcome, meaning Trump in fact has very little to worry about.



As for Trump's decision to assassinate Soleimani, the targeted killing of terrorists that pose a threat to U.S. security in the Mideast — especially by drone strikes — has been the policy of American presidents since 9/11, not just by George W. Bush, but, to a much greater extent, by Barack Obama.



The bottom line here is that Trump has eliminated a known terrorist threat, not just to the U.S., but to America's allies as well, including Canada.



That said, while Iran and Iraq are historic enemies in the Mideast, the fact the U.S. carried out the drone strike on a convoy of cars containing Soleimani near Baghdad's airport has angered the Iraqi government as a violation of its territorial integrity.



Meanwhile, Iran's Khamenei is vowing vengeance on the U.S. (translation, more terrorist attacks) which could include operations against American allies like Canada, which currently has hundreds of troops, as well as diplomats, stationed in Iraq.



Their safety should be the Trudeau government's primary concern.



Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-philippe Champagne on Friday called for all sides in the region to exercise restraint, while noting Canada considered Soleimani and his Quds Force to be a destabilizing factor both in the Mideast and globally.



Indeed, that's exactly what he was.

May he burn in hell.

[Anonymous]

US military does not expect to conduct additional strikes as officials assess Iran's next step, US official says



The US military does not expect to conduct additional strikes against Iranian-backed groups in Iraq or other locations unless the United States comes under attack, according to a US official directly familiar with the information.

https://fox43.com/2020/01/04/us-military-does-not-expect-to-conduct-additional-strikes-as-officials-assess-irans-next-step-us-official-says/">https://fox43.com/2020/01/04/us-militar ... cial-says/">https://fox43.com/2020/01/04/us-military-does-not-expect-to-conduct-additional-strikes-as-officials-assess-irans-next-step-us-official-says/

Cooler heads will prevail.

[cc]

Sorry .. doubled









I have been concerned as there are so many places Iran could choose to hit for payback ... and then tit for tat "could" follow indefinitely



Not so .. This guy is sharper that I thot



I now realize that he will hit back so hard that the game will come to an end at an early point



see below

[cc]

"Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters," Trump tweeted.



The president continued: "He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years."



"Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD," Trump said Saturday, explicitly laying out that and how the U.S. will act if Iran retaliates.

[Anonymous]

"Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters," Trump tweeted.



The president continued: "He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years."



"Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD," Trump said Saturday, explicitly laying out that and how the U.S. will act if Iran retaliates.

Progtards are saying culture targets could be a war crime.