An alleged missile attack near the Baghdad Airport has killed General Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
Also said to be killed was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.
There has been no confirmation as to who shot the missile, and the US Defense Department has not made any comment on the attack.
This is bound to stir up the Iran regime.
You can expect at least an attempt at retaliation.
Iran is blaming the United States for the attack. The death of Soleimani is a tremendous blow to the Iran military, and he will be very tough to replace.
In all, seven people are said to have been killed by the missile. The bodies are so badly burned it is hard to identify them.
Mohammed Reda, an official with the Popular Mobilization Forces, was also killed. It is believed that Reda was there to pick up high-level officials.
It was not immediately clear who fired the missile or rockets or who was targeted. There was no immediate comment from the U.S.
The security official said the bodies of those killed in the airport attack Friday were burned and difficult to identify. The official added that Reda may have been at the airport to pick up a group of “high-level” visitors who had arrived from a neighboring country. He declined to provide more information.
The attack came amid tensions with the United States after a New Year’s Eve attack by Iran-backed militias on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The two-day embassy attack, which ended Wednesday, prompted President Donald Trump to order about 750 U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East.
