Qassem Soleimani
 Qassem Soleimani    (Lieutenant General) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 March 1957 |
| Died | 3 January 2020 (Age 62) |
Qassem Soleimani (11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and from 1998 until his death, commander of its Quds Force, a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations.[1]
On 3 January 2020 Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed assassinated commander Qassem Soleimani’s deputy, Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, to replace him as head of the country’s Quds Force.[2]
Contents
Background
Soleimani began his military career in the beginning of the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s, during which he commanded the 41st Division. He was later involved in extraterritorial operations, providing military assistance to anti-Saddam Shia and Kurdish groups in Iraq, and later Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. In 2012, Soleimani helped bolster the Syrian government, a key Iranian ally, during the rebel insurgency, particularly in its operations against ISIS and its offshoots. Soleimani also assisted in the command of combined Iraqi government and Shia militia forces (Popular Mobilisation Forces) that advanced against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2014–2015.[3]
Assassination
Qassem Soleimani was killed in a targeted US airstrike on 3 January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq.[4] Also killed were PMF members including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.[5] Soleimani was promoted to Lieutenant General posthumously.[6]
Keivan Khosravi, spokesman for Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said that the SNSC is to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani by American terrorists in Iraq.[7]
US statement
The United States Department of Defense issued a statement that said the US strike was carried out “at the direction of the President” and asserted that Soleimani had been planning further attacks on American diplomats and military personnel and had approved the attacks on the American embassy in Baghdad in response to US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on 29 December 2019.
Questions
- Why has the US decided to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani now when it is known that previous US presidents have renounced that option because of its enormous ramifications for the Middle East?
- What was the role of the CIA in that decision?
- Why was the “Gang of Eight” not informed?
- Who was actually aware of this operation?
- Did Israel participate in the operation?
- Why is President Trump taking responsibility - and credit - for the assassination when the US (CIA) has hidden its hands in the murder of far less significant players in the past?
- Why have various US officials provided different rationales for the airstrike? The answer to this question may have huge legal implications.
- Has anyone - person or institution - attempted to benefit financially from the foreknowledge of Soleimani’s assassination?[8]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:After Mossad Targeted Soleimani, Trump Pulled the Trigger | Article | 3 January 2020 | Jefferson Morley | Donald Trump has now fulfilled the wishes of Mossad. After proclaiming his intention to end America’s “stupid endless wars,” the president has effectively declared war on the largest country in the region in solidarity with Israel, the most unpopular country in the Middle East. |
References
- ↑ "Iran's Spymaster Soleimani Counters U.S. Moves in the Mideast"
- ↑ "Iran names deputy commander of Quds force to replace Soleimani after killing"
- ↑ "From the east, Iran-backed force advances on Tikrit"
- ↑ "U.S. says it kills top Iranian commander Soleimani in air strike"
- ↑ "U.S. Kills Two Top Iranian Military Leaders, Bigger Than Bin Laden, Al-Baghdadi, Reports Say"
- ↑ "Airstrike kills top Iran general Qassim Suleimani at Baghdad airport, Iraqi TV reports"
- ↑ "Iran’s SNSC to Sit to Extraordinary Meeting"
- ↑ "On This Day - The Assassination of Qassem Soleimani (January 3 2020)"
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