Breaking: Qassem Soleimani Confirmed Dead by Iraqi State Media

[Oracle]

Trump will be like

 

[Rana4pak]

No Iranian army/soldier in Iraq, PMU is part of Iraqi army and receives money from Iraqi government.

So what Soleimani was doing there? Is he their on official visit?

 

[OCguy]

America has lost every war it has initiated overseas be it the vietnamese conflict Afghanistan and middle east only reason why Americans still celebrate their invasion off sovereign nations is killing their local population nothing more

Lost every war...so Saddam

Nothings gonna happen to Americans and thats the sad part. A few Americans may die. Muslims will fight Muslims.
And all the costs will be paid by GCC. What a cluster ****.

Killing a CIA officer was bad luck. Storming the embassy was an unusually inept move by a man as intelligent as he was.

Besides it being US soil, the lack of response initially to the Benghazi attacks made it a more severe chess move than it appeared on the surface.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Trump will be like
View attachment 597531

He is silent which I think means that he was sidelined in this operation.

 

[hussain0216]

whoever votes again kicking them out will become a target. If KRG acts against Iran, soon it will either lose its autonomy or members of barzani family will be kidnapped and found death, same for anyone else that wants that US uses Iraqi soil to attack Iran. This is my analysis about this situation.

Essentially this is a declaration of war

Ergo there isn't really a reason to hold back anymore

At the same time a hot reaction isn't necessary

There are U.S military targets in Afg and in Iraq/Syria

If Iran wants revenge then understand war will come
Prepare yourself now, pick your targets and increase pressure and supply to the people hitting those targets

 

[Mr.NiceGuy]

I am waiting for the retaliation of Iran. I hope Iran will make us pays dearly...

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

And lessons for Pakistan in here as well - the US simply cannot be trusted to comply with any international or bilateral treaties/agreements etc.

The only thing that will work with the US is deterrence.

But Pakistan shud help US. WE need F 16s Vs and 72s on urgent basis. War with India is literally around the corner. We will also get AH 1Zs too. We may also have US backing too. A win win Situation for Pakistan

 

[Haris Ali2140]

US can't fight a prolonged war, half of their population don't support war with Iran under Trump. Trump will be in catch 22 situation if Iran retaliate. Stupid gamble by trump.

This is where you are wrong. General public of America lives in their own bubble. Majority of them won't even know what's happening as long as US soil is secure.

No matter how idiotic Trump is, he is anti war. There is a reason he is handing out bills to GCC, SK and Japan. If Trump was involved in this operation he would have been jumping up and down on twitter like a few months ago when he eliminated Al-Baghdadi.

But Pakistan shud help US. WE need F 16s Vs and 72s on urgent basis. War with India is literally around the corner. We will also get AH 1Zs too. We may also have US backing too. A win win Situation for Pakistan

They don't need us this time.
This time consequences for us are higher and on top of that we have to sort this out ourselves.

 

[Yousafzai_M]

Qasem Soleimani: US kills top Iranian general in Baghdad air strike

• 40 minutes ago

Image copyrightAFP
Image captionGeneral Qasem Soleimani commanded Iranian military operations in the region
Iran's most powerful military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, has been killed by a US air strike in Iraq.

The 62-year old spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran's elite Quds Force.

He was killed at Baghdad airport, alongside local Iran-backed militias, early on Friday in a strike ordered by US President Donald Trump.

Gen Soleimani's killing marks a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Under his leadership, Iran had bolstered Hezbollah in Lebanon and other pro-Iranian militant groups, expanded Iran's military presence in Iraq and Syria and orchestrated Syria's offensive against rebel groups in the country's long civil war.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "severe revenge awaits the criminals" behind the attack. He also announced three days of national mourning.

• Live: Reaction and analysis as Iran vows 'revenge'
• Why the US had Gen Soleimani in its sights
• Why kill Soleimani now and what happens next?
• A brief history of US-Iran relations

Gen Soleimani was widely seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran behind the Ayatollah Khamenei. His Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reported directly to the ayatollah and he was hailed as a heroic national figure.

But the US has called the commander and the Quds Force terrorists and holds them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.

President Trump, who was in Florida at the time of the strike, tweeted an image of the American flag shortly after the news broke.

A statement from the Pentagon said Gen Soleimani "was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region".

"This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans," it added.

Meanwhile, global oil prices have soared by more than 4% in the wake of the attack.

What happened?
Gen Soleimani and officials from Iran-backed militias were leaving Baghdad airport in two cars when they were hit by a US drone strike near a cargo area.

The commander had reportedly flown in from Lebanon or Syria. Several missiles struck the convoy and at least seven people are believed to have died.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionAbu Mahdi al-Muhandis (centre) was also killed in Friday's strike
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was among those killed.

The Pentagon statement said: "At the direction of the president, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani."

It added: "The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world."

The drone strike comes days after protesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad, clashing with US forces at the scene. The Pentagon said Gen Soleimani approved the attacks on the embassy.

How has Iran responded?
Iran's Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, called the attack an "act of international terrorism", tweeting that the US "bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism."

Skip Twitter post by @JZarif
End of Twitter post by @JZarif

Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said Iran would take "vigorous revenge on America". A spokesman for the Iranian government said the country's top security body would meet in a few hours to discuss the "criminal act of attack".

"Iran and the other free nations of the region will take revenge for this gruesome crime from criminal America," President Hasan Rouhani said in a statement.

His death has "redoubled the determination of the nation of Iran and other free nations to stand against America's bullying", he added.

In other reaction:

• Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi condemned the "assassination" of Gen Soleimani as a "dangerous escalation" of regional tensions
• Russia said the attack was a "murder" and a "reckless step" by the US
• Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group called for Gen Soleimani's death to be avenged
• Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip to Greece following the strike

In Washington, senior members of President Trump's Republican Party welcomed the news. Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy said the strike was a "display of resolve and strength".

But Democrats were critical. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the move risked "dangerous escalation" and suggested Congress should have been consulted.

Who was Qasem Soleimani?
From 1998, Maj Gen Qasem Soleimani led Iran's Quds Force which handles clandestine operations abroad.

Iran has acknowledged the role of the Quds Force in the conflicts in Syria, where it has advised forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and armed thousands of Shia Muslim militiamen fighting alongside them, and in Iraq, where it has backed a Shia-dominated paramilitary force that helped tackle IS.

These conflicts turned the once-reclusive Gen Soleimani into a something of celebrity in Iran.

 

[Shapur Zol Aktaf]

So what Soleimani was doing there? Is he their on official visit?

Visiting a friend or talking about how to expell americans or other regional issues. Strange question, generals and neighbours visit each other many times. Iran-Iraq-Syria have security agreements.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

I wonder how Iran will respond?

Personally I want Iran to respond to US arm twisting.

Killing a General is no joke, it is an act of war.

 

[Valar.]

But Pakistan shud help US.

No.

Pakistan should remain neutral.

Play solo, play dead. Mind our own business. Keep our own interests in mind.

We have already destroyed our homeland enough in last decade. It's now time to build it.

 

[ARMalik]

I am waiting for the retaliation of Iran. I hope Iran will make us pays dearly...

Why would they retaliate against Turkey?

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Brig Gen Ismail qaani, he was deputy commander of the Quds & now Commander:

But Pakistan shud help US. WE need F 16s Vs and 72s on urgent basis. War with India is literally around the corner. We will also get AH 1Zs too. We may also have US backing too. A win win Situation for Pakistan

Fuk em.

They can keep their F-16s & Vipers. You are an idiot if you trust the united snakes of america.

 

[khansaheeb]

I am waiting for the retaliation of Iran. I hope Iran will make us pays dearly...

Pakistan could well be dragged into this war, whether we like it or not. Muslim world's last stand is about to happen. War has been declared and the first shot fired (for this war) by the Neocons. Time for Pakistan to beef up it's security as we will be attacked by the Neocon poodles India on the Eastern border if we don't play ball with the Neocon agenda.