4 Jan 2020
WASHINGTON: Thousands more US troops were ordered to the Middle East on Friday (Jan 3) after the United States assassinated Iran’s military mastermind and Tehran promised “severe revenge.”
President Donald Trump said top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was “terminated” when he was on the verge of attacking US diplomats but he insisted that Washington is not seeking to topple Iran’s government. Advertisement
“Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act,” Trump said in Florida.
While referring to the key Iranian figure, killed in a US air attack earlier Friday in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, as “sick,” Trump attempted to lower tensions by insisting that he does not want war with Iran.
“We did not take action to start a war,” he said, adding: “We do not seek regime change.”
READ: ‘We urge all parties to de-escalate’: World reacts to US killing of top Iran general Qasem Soleimani
READ: Trump ordered killing of Iran Guards commander – Pentagon
Iran, smarting from the loss of arguably the second most important leader in the country, erupted.
As head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign operations arm, Soleimani was a powerful figure domestically and pointman for sophisticated and wide-ranging Iranian involvement in regional power struggles – and anti-US forces.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swiftly promised “severe revenge” and tens of thousands of protesters in Tehran torched US flags and chanted “death to America.”
US officials said Soleimani, 62, was killed by a missile fired from a drone when he was near Baghdad’s international airport.
Five Revolutionary Guards were killed, along with five members of a pro-Iranian paramilitary force in Iraq, the Hashed al-Shaabi, including their deputy chief.
Iran named a replacement for Soleimani – his previous deputy, Esmail Qaani.
READ: US embassy urges citizens to leave Iraq ‘immediately’
READ: General Qasem Soleimani – Iran’s regional pointman
EMBASSY STORMING
Soleimani had long been considered a lethal foe by US lawmakers and presidents. The last straw was an attack by a pro-Iranian mob in Baghdad against the US embassy this week.
Demonstrators managed to burn part of the compound, besieging diplomats inside.
Trump said Soleimani should have been killed “many years ago.”
But previous presidents have held back from what they feared would be an overly provocative step against Iran, which has been in tense confrontation with the United States and its main regional ally Israel for decades.
For Trump, who is campaigning for reelection on a platform of getting out of wars, the situation is high risk.
The US embassy in Baghdad urged all American citizens to leave Iraq immediately and US nationals working at southern oil fields were being evacuated, Iraq’s oil ministry said.
And having repeatedly claimed to be pulling US troops out of conflict zones, Trump sent more soldiers into the Middle East.
READ: Qasem Soleimani: Everything we know so far after top Iran general was killed in US strike
READ: Tens of thousands rally in Iran capital against US ‘crimes’
A Pentagon official said 3,000 to 3,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division’s Global Response Force, which already had sent hundreds of reinforcements earlier this week, will go to Kuwait.
Around 14,000 other troops have already been deployed as reinforcements to the Middle East this year, reflecting steadily growing tensions with Iran.
Signalling growing threats to the approximately 5,200 US troops still in Iraq, a leading Hashed member, Hadi al-Ameri, urged lawmakers there “to oust foreign troops… because their presence has become a threat.”
IRAQ CRITICISES, ISRAEL PRAISES
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the US strike as “extremely dangerous and a foolish escalation,” as Khamenei declared three days of mourning.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi called the strike a “flagrant violation” of a security accord with the US, warning it would “spark a devastating war in Iraq.”
Paramilitary figures in Iraq including US-blacklisted Qais al-Khazali and militiaman-turned-politician Moqtada Sadr called on their fighters to “be ready.”
And in Lebanon, the leader of the Tehran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, warned of “punishment for these criminal assassins.”
But there were daring celebrations in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of a three-month-old protest movement against government corruption and Iranian influence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump “for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively,” as the Jewish state braced itself for possible reprisal attacks.
READ: Commentary: Why Soleimani assassination risks all-out war between the US and Iran
READ: US Democratic White House contenders condemn Trump’s strike against Iranian commander, warn of war
“DECAPITATION STRIKE”
Analysts said the strike – which sent world oil prices soaring – would be a game-changer in the tensions between Iran and the US.
“Trump changed the rules – he wanted (Soleimani) eliminated,” said Ramzy Mardini, a researcher at the US Institute of Peace.
Phillip Smyth, a US-based specialist on Shiite armed groups, described the killing as “the most major decapitation strike that the US has ever pulled off.”
He told AFP it would have “bigger” ramifications than the 2011 US operation that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and the 2019 American raid that killed Islamic State group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Ties between the US and Iran have deteriorated markedly since Washington abandoned a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions.
Source: AFP/nh
US assassinates Solomon-I, in Iraq, in a Quasi-Shia State, in the wee hours of the morning.
Y would a Iranian Gen – who is anti-Israel and America, fly from a Commercial/Military Airport in Iraq – when the US embassy was firebombed just a few days ago ? He would have known that all his e-signatures would be tracked by the Americans,second by second,and there would be no dearth of spies at the hangar,ATC,Airport who would ply the Americans with precise coordinates of the General’s flight patterns ?
Surely after the US embassy bombing the Good General would have been told by his team to exit Iraq ? Could a general be so careless or foolish – that he would think that he could exit from a designated airport,after the US embassy escapade – and with another designated terrorist (designed by USA) – with makes it a double prime target – and with no collateral baggage ? In ISIS days – he was fighting with the Americans – and those days are over.
Persian Shia’ism is not a suicide cult – it appears to be one – but it is not.So the general was misled into complacency and entrapped by some , in the Iraqi state, to take that flight – and the US embassy firebombing might also have been a false flag operation as the US troops shot no one – id.est., no firebomber was killed.But the sons of Xerxes and Cyrus cannot be so naive and foolish.The General would not have boarded that plane unless he was secured by the Russians and Tehran.2000 years ago, the Jews inserted a fake verse into the Old Testament and Talmud – to state that Cyrus was the messiah- and showed it to Cyrus – who like a fool, believed it, and rebuilt the Temple !The General had read the Torah,Talmud,Hebrew Bible and the History of the Jews and the Nassara
CNN portrays the killing as a "Trump rash reaction" – but it is not.Ultimately,the USA will go to war with Iran – as the Americans do not trust the Persian Shias – on the N-Bomb,and the Persians do not trust the Jews or the Nassara. Soleimani was just the catalyst to push the Persians into the N- Suspension, and go full N-throttle – which is what the Persians have done – and which is what the Americans wanted.
Iraqi govtt will kick out the US troops and the US troops will not leave – as that is what the Americans (and Kurds,Nassara,Sunnis) really want.To be precise, the Kurds,Suniis do not want the Yankii to leave – but that they be asked to leave – so that their mortal fears of living under Persian Shias is brought to the fore – for a partition of the Iraqi state
What the Americans want is to trifurcate Iraq – which will happen inevitably post Soleimani – and which is what the Persians also seek,although the Persians would like to Shia-ise the whole of Iraq.Persian security interests are preserved by destabilising and burning Iraq to create a "sea of fire" between them and the US/Israel and satellite Hezbollahs all over the Gulf,especially encircling the Saudis (The Soleimani Doctrine).But now,they will be happy with a trifurcation
After trifurcating Itaq the Persians will export their franchise and the brand to all Shia regions in GCC and Africa (where the USA has lesser troops and even lesser interest).Even the EU/PRC will be pleased – and this will look like an amicable solution (already crafted) – after creating a well planned disaster (assassinating Soleimani)
There was no inpending attack by Soleimani – just lies and deception of the American state.There are many heads of Terror Groups in the Gulf who can be killed, with or w/o collateral impact – but they are never taken out – not even by Israel or ISIS (Israel Secret Intel Service).The Americans chose a Persian Shia,when the whole Sunni world hates Persia and the Persia Shian, and killed him in a Quasi Shia State – and so there is no empathy or support for the Persians – even after the assassination – not even from Russia and PRC.
Obviously,the Russians,PRC,EU would have known – and they did not tip off the Persians and the Americans shot off 4 Hell Fire’s – and THERE WAS NO COLLATERAL PRESENCE AT THE AIRPORT AT THAT TIME. A marked man would travel in the presence of ample collateral baggage – like the Hamas and Hezb, do in Gaza – to provoke Collateral damage,and then the Christian empathy,by Amanpour on CNN
The Persians have launched a muffled attack at a site which it knows, hosts no Americans, using missiles which have the capacity to hit US barracks,and knowing that the site hosts Iraqis – where the Iranians had ample intel and time to affix missile coordinates for the terminal descent – and they did not.The Persians used BM with intent,SO THAT THE AMERICANS could track their launch and loading and set up – AND THE AMERICANS did NOT TAKE OUT THE LAUNCHERS AND SILOS – before take off.
The whole story stinks and if it ends with the Persian missile strike – it will stink even more.Odds are there will be more strikes by the Persians and US will make 1 strike (at least) on Persian soil – to further aggravate the Persians into the N-Bomb – and then disaster will come when either side hits civilians by plan or strategy
A few days ago,the Iranian media mentioned the US blowing up of a Iranian Airliner long ago.Coincidentally,a NATO nation – Article 5 nation – had its commercial aircraft blown up in Tehran- with no survivors – at take off time – with all tanks full,Ukraine is a nation that Trump and the USA have sworn to protect.
Just providence of coincidence and incidence.No one is reporting on the passenger list – surely there would no Shias on the plane.
The Nassara do not understand 1 simple thing.For the Persians and also the Sunnis,the path to salvation and evolution, as per Shia Theology and Philosophy – goes via the Bed of Armageddon – as that is when the Mehdi will return
As an aside, the Hindoos sent a terror-spy to Pakistan, via Iran, on the cover of a port project.The spy was busted in Pakistan.Hindoo History and Persian History shows that whenever, the Persians support the Hindoos or Indians – some disaster occurs.Soleimani supported the Indian Terror-Spy.
The wisdom of the "children of Cyrus,Darius and Xerxes",encapsulates the "transcendence of Human thought", the "Deuterosis of the Dindoo", as under:
A "Persian dictionary",titled "Lughet-e-Kishwari",published in Lucknow in 1964,gives the meaning of the word Hindu as “chore [thief], dakoo [dacoit], raahzan [waylayer], and ghulam [slave].
Evidently the Gates of Hell are ajar.In essence,the world is overpopulated.If The Indians and South East Asians (besides Thai women) were to disappear,the Garden of Eden would return.Then there are Arabs,who allow Hindoos in their nation and let them build temples in Arab nations and extol Hindoo Gods – such vermin should also die.dindooohindoo
And then there are Muslims – who will not answer 1 simple question – Was Soleimani a Mujahid and now a Shaheed.Soleimani- the Persian,named after Solomon-the son of David-David the messiah of Israel.
Solomon bore the Curse of Allah on the Jews – as per the Hebrew Bible – id.est the Jews are cursed by Allah,due to the sins of Solomon.
Y did the Russians and Tehran not protect Soleimani ? They allowed him to be killed .