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Iraq
Iran's Gen. Qassem Soleimani killed in U.S. airstrike at direction of President Trump,
2020-01-03
[FoxNews] The Pentagon launched an airstrike Thursday night that killed a powerful Iranian military leader, Gen. Qassim Soleimanihead of the Quds Force, at Baghdad's international airport.

The Defense Department said it conducted the attack at President Donald Trump's direction as a "defensive action" against Soleimani, who it said was planning further attacks on American diplomats and service members.

Soleimani is an extremely influential figure inside Iran, heading Iran's elite Quds Force, part of the country's hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region," the Defense Department said in a statement Thursday night. "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."

The attack represented a seismic event in the Middle East and sparked immediate fears of a wider confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.

"Make no mistake - this is bigger than taking out Osama Bin Laden," tweeted Ranj Alaaldin, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center and director of a Carnegie Corporation project on proxy warfare in the Middle East.
Posted by:Woodrow

#38  Very sad, really. A crying shame
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 23:03  

#37  Knockin' em down, 3 here, 6 there...
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 22:55  

#36  A new U.S. air strike has targeted a convoy of pro-Iran militiamen late on Friday on Taji road north of Baghdad, Iraqi state TV said.

The air strikes targeted Iran-backed Shiite militia leaders near camp Taji north of Baghdad, killing six people and critically wounding three, an Iraqi army source said late on Friday.

Initial reports from militant social media sources indicated that a high-ranking figure may have been among those killed in the strike.
Posted by: bbrewer126   2020-01-03 20:27  

#35  Sounds like a 2nd airstrike happened in Baghdad.
Posted by: bbrewer126   2020-01-03 20:22  

#34  [MECRA]

Qais al-Khazali (قيس الخزعلي) was targeted by US sanctions on December 6, 2019. "The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three leaders of Iran-backed militias in Iraq that opened fire on peaceful protests, killing dozens of innocent civilians. OFAC designated Qais al-Khazali, Laith al-Khazali, and Husayn Falih ‘Aziz al-Lami pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818

"Sanctioned" - I do not think that word means what you think thought it means, Qais.
Posted by: Mercutio   2020-01-03 19:06  

#33  Reports Qais Khazali just got drone-zapped
Posted by: Charles   2020-01-03 18:51  

#32  While you've got him, tell him not to eat any pineapples he might find down there.
Posted by: gorb   2020-01-03 18:42  

#31  Qasem Soleimani
‏@Qasam_Soleimani
Follow Follow @Qasam_Soleimani
MoreQasem Soleimani Retweeted Screaming Gull
Well:

1) It's very hot
2) All the beer is warm
3) All the virgins are men
4) This Adolf guy won't shut up
5) Lot of pissed off suicide bombers saying this wasn't what they signed up forQasem Soleimani added,
Screaming Gull

@GullScreaming
Replying to @Qasam_Soleimani @JoeSilverman7
How are things in Hell? Just wanna know...
8:41 AM - 3 Jan 2020
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-01-03 18:06  

#30   Iranians thank Trump for terrorist Soleimani being titzup.
Posted by: JohnQC   2020-01-03 16:36  

#29  No more bag drags from the parking lot. No more TSA. No more airplane food. No more muscle aches and pains. No more taking out the trash or gossipy en-laws.
Posted by: Besoeker   2020-01-03 16:20  

#28  HT AOSHQ:
Qasem Soleimani @Qasam_Soleimani

On the bright side, I lost a lot of weight today

11:10 PM - Jan 2, 2020
Posted by: Frank G   2020-01-03 14:53  

#27  Whomp.

Was wondering what the secret ingredient was which got all the usuals wound up.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2020-01-03 10:56  

#26  It would be a treat if Trump wore that distinctive Red ring at his next Press Conference
Posted by: Airandee   2020-01-03 10:52  

#25  Now, watch carefully for the leaks and kill (figuratively) the leakers too...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2020-01-03 09:57  

#24  The media narrative reads like Trump had a vision of where Suliemani would be and called the CJCS and said "Kill him." It's more like the Pentagon briefed Trump "We know he's going to be here at this time, here are the options." And Trump said "kill him."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2020-01-03 09:56  

#23   Out of curiosity, what could we have used to make a hit like that?

Switchblade
Posted by: Skidmark   2020-01-03 09:24  

#22  So the heads of Quds, Hezbollah and the PFM (Pig-f*cking Militia)?

All good Sunni's should celebrate.

Ulululululu!
Posted by: Mercutio   2020-01-03 07:40  

#21  For #18, the AGM-176 Griffin was most likely the missile used based on the limited area of damage. The AGM-114 Hellfire would have left a crater and no evidence that there was a car there, much less any bodies.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance   2020-01-03 07:04  

#20  I'll take Nero's #17 for $600. Alex.
Posted by: Besoeker   2020-01-03 06:39  

#19  

Small Diameter bomb.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2020-01-03 06:15  

#18  #17, yeah, apparently they basically dropped something on his head and had to identify him by his famous ring, as nothing else remained but his hand. Out of curiosity, what could we have used to make a hit like that? I just want to find a picture of it and update the background picture on my PC.
Posted by: Beau   2020-01-03 04:48  

#17  That was a precision hit, which implies that Quds' communications was compromised. That doesn't happen overnight, so likely we've got the Quds/IRGC/Hezb command structure mapped and know who's been talking to who of late, and maybe even what they were chatting about. Probably a few loose sphincters thereabouts today.
Posted by: Nero   2020-01-03 03:41  

#16  "Operation Vengeance"

"How the U.S. killed naval Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind behind the Pearl Harbor attack."
Posted by: boomerc   2020-01-03 03:25  

#15  "From 2011 to 2012 he served on the National Security Council staff as senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs."

A serious guy but one of Obama's sprawling, out of control NSC that Trump is only now scaling back. He may well have been told about the Suleimani hit by one of his former colleagues who's still on the NSC and receiving briefings.
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 03:12  

#14  
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-01-03 03:09  

#13  "Quincy Institute" is that new Soros + Charles Koch (!) initiative that rounded up a bunch of academics who are either
1) reasonably opposed to our "forever wars" - these are fairly normal, serious scholars, OR
2) unhinged advocates of the Iran nuclear deal.

For their separate reasons, both Soros and Koch are determined to try to resurrect the Iran deal.,

Bet this guy falls into the second camp.
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 02:59  

#12  Here's the header info. Was tipped off from twitter. Have about 1 second to select all and copy. It's behind a NYT paywall.

Continue reading the main story
Opinion
Hypersonic Missiles Are a Game Changer
No existing defenses can stop such weapons — which is why everyone wants them.

By Steven Simon
Mr. Simon is an analyst at the Quincy Institute and teaches international relations at Colby College.

Jan. 2, 2020
Posted by: mossomo   2020-01-03 02:50  

#11  Do you guys/gals recognize the name? This is the asshole behind Iraqi(iran) IED technology - abu of the EFP.
Posted by: mossomo   2020-01-03 02:45  

#10  Mossomo: good catch. Whose Opinion piece?

This sounds like a direct stenographic repeat of something conveyed to the NYT's whores by someone in the Ciaramella-Vindman cabal.
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 02:43  

#9  Oh - and to make it clear - he wasn't dead yet when the article was printed.
Posted by: mossomo   2020-01-03 02:40  

#8  May Allan grant his finger a more upscale and tasteful ring.
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 02:39  

#7  I find this interesting. The following was buried in a wall of text then lifted (NYT Opinion Section 1/2/2020).

... "Moreover hypersonics are a weaponized moral hazard for states with a taste for intervention, because they erase barriers to picking fights. Is an adversary building something that might be a weapons factory? Is there an individual in an unfriendly country who cannot be apprehended?

What if the former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, visits Baghdad for a meeting and you know the address? The temptations to use hypersonic missiles will be many."
Posted by: mossomo   2020-01-03 02:37  

#6  2020/01/02 Soleimani's martyred body enters heaven.
Thank you Allah for receiving your martyr into your heavenly Jannah.
If anyone is deserving of the full compliment of virgins it is your servant Soleimani.
Please, reassemble all of his exploded body parts into a beautiful dashing young general's heavenly body.
And may all the fat ladies of heaven sing for him.

Posted by: boomerc   2020-01-03 02:36  

#5  Year's off to a fine start.

I feel good! I knew that I would.
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 02:10  

#4  Is your friend of sound mind?

Sometimes. :-)
Posted by: gorb   2020-01-03 01:52  

#3  Congratulations to those wonderful guys who got him, and to Trump and Netanyahu.
Posted by: Dron66046   2020-01-03 01:19  

#2  Huh? False flag = staged by Iran??

That would be like the Nazis taking out Himmler and Rommel. Is your friend of sound mind?
Posted by: Lex   2020-01-03 00:43  

#1  Any way this can be construed to be a false flag attack? (Asking for a friend.)
Posted by: gorb   2020-01-03 00:40  

00:00