General Qasem Soleimani killed! So what?
By now you have heard that General Qasem Soleimani (SHIA MUSLIM) was killed as his motorcade left the Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. Soleimani was the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Qud Forces. The Qud Forces are to shape the region favorably to a Shia Iran by carrying out unconventional war and intelligence gathering operations outside the territory of Iran.
Under the direction of Soleimani the Quds supported the Taliban with material and money. Soleimani and his proxies fought in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, as well as locations around the world. Soleimani used proxy fighters to attempt an assassination in Washington. D.C.
Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder charged Manssor Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, a commander in the Quds, for planning to assassinate Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir at a D.C. restaurant. They planned to use a bomb, FBI Director Mueller stated that many lives would have been lost and named the investigation “OPERATION RED”. The U.S. Treasury designated the Quds as a terrorist organization in 2007. In October 2011, the Obama administration targeted Soleimoni by freezing his financial assets.
Soleimani is the strategic genius behind Iranian efforts to control and disrupt the region, and he accomplished this through proxy fighters in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Africa and Iraq. General David Petraeus said that killing Soleimani is bigger than killing Osama Bin Ladin or al-Bkr al-Bagdadi, and I agree. I compare the elimination of Soleimani to the killing of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto during WWII.
The first time I saw a photo of or heard the name Qasem Soleimani was in the spring of 2005. I was in a briefing being given by the 3rd Infantry Division. The focus of the security brief was to discuss and describe the EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator). This new IED (Improved Explosive Device) had recently appeared in the Iraq battlefield and could penetrate armor. An EFP penetrates armor and rattles around inside the vehicle severing arms, legs etc. A large portion of the brief included photos of Soleimoni and other Iranian Qud leaders known to be pushing into Iraq and teaching the use of the EFP.
The commander that I replaced in Salman Pac was killed by an EFP along with three others in October 2005. It is estimated that about 700 Americans were killed by EFPs. But was killing Soleimoni legal?
President Obama used drones throughout the Middle East over 2,000 times during his administration. Besides combatants civilians were killed, and among those killed was Anwar al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki was a Yemen American Imam, and the Obama administration accused him of aiding Al-Qaida and that he was a recruiter for fighters in Yemen, but to date no evidence of these claims have been released. Al-Awlaki was the first American citizen killed by a drone without due process. Do you remember the press making a big deal of the killing of an American citizen?
Is it legal for President Trump to commit this attack? According to United States Code 50 3093(c)(2) the President is required to brief the Gang of 8. The Gang of 8 is made up of leaders in the House and Senate and the Intelligence Committee. But, under “extraordinary circumstances”, when the president believes “it is essential to limit access” to information about a covert action the president can limit reporting to the Gang of 8. According to the War Powers Act military actions must be reported within 48 hours. The War Powers Act also permits the president to commit U.S. forces for a limited period of time. Would you trust Adam Schiff, the Democratic head of the Intel Committee, with something as sensitive as this?
You can see on some major news shows female anchors are wearing a Hijab in honor of Soleimoni. Soleimoni lead what was the Badr Corp in Iraq which is a Shia militia. I have seen various accounts of Iraqi’s celebrating the death of Soleimoni. I have received several messages from Shia interpreters that I used in Iraq, and they are thankful Soleimoni is dead and thankful for Trump. I have spoken with others that have served in Iraq, and they are hearing the same from Iraqis they are in contact with. Does the news report this? The news shows large crowds mourning in Iran, but what do you expect in a totalitarian country?
Iran will respond, but very carefully. Iran was given billions by the Obama administration, but with the sanctions placed by Trump, their money is running low. Kim Jung-un is taking notice. In 2019 Iran attacked six ships in the straits of Hormuz, conducted war games with Russia and China, blew up a Saudi oil field and shot down a U.S. drone. Trump stopped the military response to the drone that was shot down. I believe it was measured response because no American life was lost.
Iran has been at war with the United States since 1979 and chant death to America every chance they get. In August 2019, I published an article titled; AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY – HOW IT WORKS. Remember D.I.M.E. Trump has talked to Iran through Diplomatic back channels. Information by Trump: this was done to prevent a war not start one. Now Trump has used the Military. Trump has used Economics by applying sanctions. U.S. Foreign policy is at work, well done!!