Introduction
The attack was staged with US Marines who had just arrived and who captured two survivors at the scene and are holding them prisoner. As to whether the US is holding General Soleimani’s body and is planning to dump it in the ocean isn’t yet clear but Marines were at the site immediately after the ambush.
Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have been killed in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, media reports say.
“The deputy head of the Hashed, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and head of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, were killed in a US strike that targeted their car on the Baghdad International Airport road,” Iraqi media quoted the Iraqi pro-government group as saying in a statement on Friday.
“The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani,” said Ahmed al-Assadi, a PMU spokesman.
The group had earlier said that its public relations director Mohammed Reza al-Jaberi and four other members of the group were also killed after three Katyusha rockets struck a military base next to Baghdad International Airport in the Iraqi capital.
The media bureau of the voluntary forces – better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Shabai – described the early Friday morning attack as a “cowardly US bombing”.
The rockets landed near the air cargo terminal, burning two vehicles and injuring several people, the Iraqi Interior Ministry’s Security Media Cell said in an earlier statement.
خلية الإعلام الأمني@SecMedCell
سقوط 3 صواريخ كاتيوشا على مطار بغداد الدولي قرب صالة الشحن الجوي ادى الى احتراق عجلتين اثنين واصابة عدد من المواطنيين وسنوافيكم التفاصيل لاحقاً.
Shortly after the attack, US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the strikes were carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad. The officials declined to give any further details.
Meanwhile, security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that eight people were killed in the attack.
The development came as the United States military said on Sunday it had carried out strikes in western Iraq against Kataib Hezbollah group, which is part of the pro-government Popular Mobilization Units – better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units say US forces attacked their base in the western Anbar province.
Iraqi security sources said at least 25 fighters were killed and at least 55 wounded following the air attacks.
Senior Iraqi officials also condemned the US attack against the Kataib Hezbollah’s positions as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.
Caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called the move a “dangerous escalation that threatens the security of Iraq and the region” in a statement on Sunday,
American officials say a “US civilian contractor” has been killed in, what they describe as, a rocket attack targeting a military base in northern Iraq.
Abdul Mahdi said US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had called him about half an hour before the US raids to tell him of the US intentions to hit Kataib Hezbollah’s bases. He said he asked Esper to call off US plans.
Iraqi caretaker President Barham Salih also condemned the attack.
The US raids drew a wave of condemnation from officials and movements across the region, and triggered furious public protests outside the US embassy in Baghdad.
The United States evacuates its Embassy in Baghdad as thousands of angry Iraqi demonstrators gather outside the gates of the compound to condemn Washington’s fatal military aggression against the PMU.
The Pentagon said the bombings were in response to attacks targeting American forces near the oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk last week, which reportedly killed a US civilian contractor and injured four US service members, as well as two members of the Iraqi security forces. The US accused Kataib Hezbollah group of the attack.
Press TV is a 24-hour English language news and documentary network, affiliated with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
IRIB is state-owned but independent of the Iranian government in its management and is the only legal TV and radio broadcaster inside Iran. IRIB’s head is appointed directly by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is considered to be close to the country’s conservative political faction. Press TV is headquartered in Tehran with offices and bureaus around the world; including London, Beirut, Damascus, Kabul, and the Gaza Strip.
*All posts on behalf of PressTV are made by Jim W. Dean
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
@ vjabbe,
reinigen Sie bitte ihre Brillengläser, sie sind voller schlieren.
Gruß Werner
Wonder how many dancing Israelis there are?
IMHO, it is not what about Trump wanted or ordered, it is about who has Trump by the balls.
I assume that the Netanyahu-Lobby has a sling at the neck of Trump, by which they can order him to do anything they want. The assassination of General Soleimani and Commander Mohandis is more a rescue operation for Netanyahu than anything about the interests of the USA.
Hopefully this martyrdom will trigger the expelling of all US troops from the Region.
The Iranians might not choose to respond. Acting at a time of their choosing for maximum effect might be the way it goes.
Cannot say I will be sorry to see Iran’s retaliation, well I might have a case of schadenfreude. It has been way too long that no one has given the bully an eye for an eye.
good one Chas, and the royal lizards couldn’t find their own dicks on a dark night, either
I think we are past the point of cooler heads prevailing. Two days ago, 12/31/19, I heard that Israel would be starting up their assassination group in active status. I guess their group is their controlled Americans to do their work.
Through the years I thank Veteran’s Today for providing fantastic information and support to all of us trying to understand and connect the dots. When the dollar collapses, food riots start,,, I am hoping that a lot more people have woken up and will be a positive force for renewal and justice. A friend of mine commented to me recently that when the flack hits the fan, about 98% of all humanity won’t have a clue! I pray that is not the case.
VT thank you one and all…
So much for the theory of Trump not wanting a war with Iran.
Now, there is an unproven theory that Trump was being pressured with impeachment unless he goes to war with Iran. If he pulls out or shows any signs of not following Israel’s orders then he will be impeached and Pence will carry through with his marching orders.
Unsubstantiated and unproven -so take it with a grain of salt, until otherwise…
Quote:”At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. 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. He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.
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”
So we murdered a freedom fighter?….Oh so American.
If he is really dead, he showed very bad judgement because he was ambushed. Everyone must remember he has been reported dead many times before. If he is dead these cowards sitting in comfortable offices here and in Israel will pay. Just wait and watch. And expect higher gas prices tomorrow morning. The inmates are in charge of our country now.
“The jails are full of petty thieves but the grand thieves are running the country”. Howard Zinn, Ph.D.
Why doesn’t the U.S. get out of that area and all other areas of the world where it is not invited and does not belong and is in illegally as in Syria? Answer: Because the cowards running the totally corrupt government of the U.S. are doing the bidding of criminals in Israel. Israel did 9/11/01 while the four star generals did not lift a finger to defend the country. These are all pathological liars. Nothing they say can be believed.
The U.S. and Israel are the world terrorist organizations. They did 9/11/01 to gang rape Americans of their Constitutional rights. The first result of this rape was the obliteration of Amendments 4 and 5 leading to illegal searches of every person at every airport in the country. Whores in Congress doing the bidding of Israel approved the totally illegal Patriot Act almost unanimously. Americans are the biggest fools on planet earth and should have flunked the 5th grade where teachers taught the meaning of a false flag on a pirate ship. The four star generals sold us out on 9/11/01. Do not salute these traitors. Americans love to be fooled fleeced and had by criminal traitors in charge of the asylum.
This is word for word just what I heard on the news.
Comments are closed.