Trump ordered US drone strike that killed Iran general Qassem Suleimani

I'd like more details myself about the planned attack. Seems Washington military heads and experts have been briefing Trump for at least a couple of months about Iran's escalating aggression. He finally gave the "go ahead" to take out Soleimani after Washington war hawks had wanted this for more than a decade.

As far a having business in the Middle East, we have American companies there with civilian employees. Not sure how many. I think General Electric and Boeing had operations in Iran until the sanctions hit.

The only military business we have in being there is that we are there, thanks to previous administrations. Pompeo is talking de-escalation at the same time Esper is sending more troops. Trump is saying he does not want regime change but that we will defend ourselves. This is kind of a mess.

Here is an interesting story about the lead-up to Soleimani's death. It does include a brief mention of the planned attack but it is rather vague on details.

"U.S. officials, briefing conservative think-tank experts on Friday, said the U.S. had "exquisite intelligence" on a plot to strike Americans in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, according to someone familiar with the call. By killing Soleimani, the officials said, they disrupted such plans."

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/03/donald-trump-iran-soleimani-093371

 

The terrorist general deserved to die. {Period}

Remember al-Sadr, the “striking arm” for Hamas; I did not get my wish on how to fight the war then either.

Look how long it took the last time to start killing terrorists, that brought about two fatwas on behalf of Iraq, from October 2002 to March 2003.

The last war was NOT about WMD, it could have been limited to that, but it was NOT:

“I would have preferred that the President agree to the approach drafted by Senators Biden and Lugar because that resolution would authorize the use of force for the explicit purpose of disarming Iraq and countering the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.” (TEXT FROM THE SPEECH JOHN KERRY MADE ON THE SENATE FLOOR October 9, 2002)

“Let me be clear: I am voting to give this authority to the President for one reason and one reason only: to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction if we cannot accomplish that objective through new tough weapons inspections.” (TEXT FROM THE SPEECH JOHN KERRY MADE ON THE SENATE FLOOR October 9, 2002)

“SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(a) AUTHORIZATION. The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to
(1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq.”
This was NOT about WMD:

“H32. Requires Iraq to inform the Security Council that it will not commit or support any act of international terrorism or allow any organization directed towards commission of such acts to operate within its territory and to condemn unequivocally and renounce all acts, methods and practices of terrorism;
I33. Declares that, upon official notification by Iraq to the Secretary-General and to the Security Council of its acceptance of the provisions above, a formal cease-fire is effective between Iraq and Kuwait and the Member States cooperating with Kuwait in accordance with resolution 678 (1990);” http://www.fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm

“March 5, 2003: Bus bombing in Haifa. U.S. citizens killed: Abigail Leitel, 14, who was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire.” http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/usvictims.html

“The suicide bomber was 20 years old, a student of the Hebron Polytechnic University (from which a large number of suicide bombers have emerged) and a member of the Hamas terrorist organization.” http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/861590/posts

March 13, 2003: “(CBS) Saddam Hussein has distributed $260,000 to 26 families of Palestinians killed in 29 months of fighting with Israel, including a $10,000 check to the family of a Hamas suicide bomber. In a packed banquet hall on Wednesday, the families came one-by-one to receive their $10,000 checks. A large banner said: ‘The Arab Baath Party Welcomes the Families of the Martyrs for the Distribution of Blessings of Saddam Hussein.’“ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/14/world/main543981.shtml

Then the attack came, just like now:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...tia-behind-attack-killed-american/2770555001/

If the Iranians can’t stop being terrorists, with or without WMD, they need to fracking DIE.

Now if you want to go look at the 213 to 213 vote before the Chinese embassy was bombed by Clinton, or check out the movie “Wag the Dog,” fine, just remember, Clinton was right, Milosevic had to go, it took me a while to change my mind.

 

I really don’t understand that he was planning an attack. Regardless he didn’t and he is a government official you went in knowing this was an act of war. And he isn’t even the head of the snake the tail is already regrown and the whole country who will wait out retaliation is on the hunt. We won’t see it coming and this war will come home Russia has sleeper cells, China, Iran etc. we are a melting pot after all,

 

This is what is going on in Baghdad. There are also marches of Shites in Kashmir India, as well as in all the Iranian cities.

 

You already know we gave Iraq democracy now watch it turn on us

 

That's the Iraqi Shia, not the entire country, plenty of people in the Middle East glad this guy is dead.

 

Iranian median family income: $12,046 per year.

http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/median-income-by-country/​

Higher than Russia, Mexico, Turkey, Chile, Brazil, China...

 

Really? Are you sure they are going to hang gays in America?

 

Maybe it's a dodge. But you hate it because it's true, not because you think it's a dodge.

 

To be glad about it but worry about your family safety because they support us bases? The violence of them or us has yet to develop but it’s coming. And Syria will play a major role the thought that the US will leave you reminiscing of Afghanistan. So yes celebrate some or most but to enough he is now a martyr. More than before there are now more people willing to attack America and if war goes off poor Ukraine and say bye to the South China Sea because we have no moral grounds or personnel to stop them. Ambassadors work for decades just went down the drain from a president that has to flush 15 times

 

I will tell you the "reality in Iran"
America killed a killer - in revenge.
Iran will kill innocent people to revenge the revenge.

 

er... actually, I am just say'n what will happen when Iran gets the bomb.
You see Iran has lots of enemies (gulf states, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia
etc..) who have stated that if Iran goes nuclear, they go nuclear as well.
And the rest will be history, not just in the Middle East but everywhere as
non-proliferation will be over - nukes become standard ordinance for every
nation and their terror proxies.

 

No ordinary citizen knows the details of the planned attacks by Soleimani against Americans. These were high-level military strategy talks in Washington.

We do know that Iran had escalated missile attacks on our troops over the last couple of months, and we know they attacked the embassy. Those are acts of war as well. Sounds like we exercised our right to self-defense by taking out the strategist General. He has been listed in the U.S. as a known terrorist for many years, and was sanctioned by the United Nation Security Council for supporting terrorism.

 

Your straw man comment is unrelated to what you quoted.

 

Ok but why? we entered in an agreement with them to ease relations and stop them from researching nuclear weapons. That took a lot from them now the hardliners are like I told you so because we did once again the pilgrim and Indian philosophy. Then we said f you and every time someone had said that to me I said well f you too. Its a predictable response. We made a pre emptive strike. Now war is in their court and we are not at war we have to wait for huge multiple and systematical attacks on their terms. Trump has played war and has to wait now until people die. Not a good job

 

Trump hasn't "played war"
He has killed a significant terrorist target.
No, not a soldier, but a figure who facilitated killing.
And Trump didn't set out to target civilians - the guy
he killed saw civilians as soft targets.
Am I right that this guy was sanctioned by the UN
for his role in killing, as LoneStar suggested?

 

General Soleimani was not involved in killing any civilians, while you can't say the same thing for many American generals and other military officers.

 

LOL, the usual narrative devoid of any proof. You guys like living on a fantasy world. You should be so stupid as Trump then maybe you could be rich and President.

 

Iran is bordered by Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

 

General Soleimani recently led the brutal repression of protestors in Iran, where more than a thousand innocent civilians were tortured and killed.

I'll give him a pass on that though, because those were Iranian civilians, and they get the governance they deserve.

 

Nonsense. General Soleimani's portfolio never even involved any domestic affairs or security issues and anyone telling you anything to the contrary is simply lying.

 

Uh huh. What if they do? What's your plan?

Note: we have 200,000 troops overseas, spread around the globe; Iran had 80m people.

 

Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.

I guess he was using the royal "we".

 

You kill someone for maybe but now Americans will die certainly. And on a grand scale one guy in Iran is worth hundreds of innocents? The forced abandoning of strategic post and the obliteration of moral high ground and years of diplomacy in multiple countries. If it is worth it to you if it is winning to you then celebrate now the death of a guy the majority didn’t know or care about until his death. But prepare yourself for definite and random it just might hit home and you won’t be smiling then.

 

The same was said about Iraq. Torture and killing run rampant in South America and it directly influences us from drugs to migration but yes let’s kill the guy in Iran who tortured his people at the behest of his government