Qassem Soleimani killing: Prominent red ring on finger helped identify Iranian general

Sunday, 05 Jan, 2020

The death of General Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds force, in the airstrike at Baghdad airport, which also killed nine others, has sparked an escalation in tensions between America and Iran, including the deployment of thousands of USA troops to the region.

Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, who announced her leadership bid yesterday, said: "This is a very unsafe moment".

Plus, pro-Iran groups in different parts of the Middle East have called for retaliation against USA interests.

So when the USA takes actions, in airstrikes that kill 25 Iranians last week, obviously, that raised the threat level.

"What America showed was the depth of its weaknesses and defeat in the region for it to murder the general of a country. who is so loved by the people". "This is a very hard situation for allies of the United States, like ourselves, because I happen to be someone who believes the world is safer when America is involved in what's happening beyond its shores".

President Donald Trump did Friday what previous presidents did not dare to do - eliminate a top Iranian general who aggressively expanded Tehran's power while obstructing USA efforts across the Middle East.

"They tried to use anti-Americanism before but no one really bought it". But top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer "was not given advanced notice" of the strike, a senior Democratic aide told AFP. I don't know what actions Iranians will take.

O'Brien insisted that the White House had factored in the potential expulsion of USA troops from Iraq before striking the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force commander and Muhandis, but critics contend that the assassinations have made it harder for Iraqi politicians to justify the presence of American troops in the country. We need you to help the WSWS and ICFI make 2020 the year of global socialist revival.

In response, streams of Hashed supporters laid siege to the United States embassy in Baghdad this week. The Kata'ib al-Imam Ali, an Iran-backed Shiite militia, is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

"Some think today's hit clips Iran's wings in Iraq". "That said, actions in the Middle East need to be tied to a clear strategy ..."

Iraqi state television reported a further USA strike in Baghdad on Saturday morning, targeting a convoy belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi, but there was no immediate comment from Washington.

"We've seen a chain of events", Crocker said.

The Quds Force has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States.


The US has closely followed Soleimani's movements over the last few months, but a US official told The Washington Post that discussion of the strike began after the contractor's death. "We have to make the same set of calculations".

"I am telling Americans, especially Trump, we will take a revenge that will change their daylight into a night-time darkness", said the cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami.
We're hurting our allies.

Parliament is to meet for an emergency session on Sunday, and the government has come under mounting pressure to expel the 5200 American troops based in the country, who are there to help prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. Additionally, he became responsible for Iran's internal security after protests in 2009, a role that Crocker said he carried out with "efficiency and ruthlessness".

At this stage, eyes will be on Iran as top officials have announced that they will look for revenge.

"There used to be a debate about who has influence, the USA or Iran?" "This clearly is not going to be the last one".