Trump orders attack that kills Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, other military officials in Baghdad, Pentagon says

[DemonGeminiX]

Head of Iran's Quds Force killed in an airstrike

General Soleimani killed in airstrike amid U.S.-Iran tensions; reaction from 'The American Conservative' writer Curt Mills.


President Trump ordered a game-changing U.S. military attack that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, among other military officials at Baghdad International Airport early Friday, the Pentagon confirmed.

Soleimani is the military mastermind whom Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had deemed equally as dangerous as Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In October, Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on a compound in northwest Syria, seven months after the so-called ISIS "caliphate" crumbled as the terrorist group lost its final swath of Syrian territory in March.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted after the attack "The US' act of international terrorism, targeting & assassinating General Soleimani—THE most effective force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely dangerous & a foolish escalation."

He added that the U.S. "bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism."

In April 2019, the State Department announced Iran was responsible for killing 608 U.S. troops during the Iraq War. Soleimani was the head of the Iranian and Iranian-backed forces carrying out those operations killing American troops. According to the State Department, 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 were orchestrated by Soleimani.

As recently as 2015, a travel ban and United Nations Security Council resolutions had barred Soleimani from leaving Iran.

Friday's Baghdad strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, a source told Fox News.

In all, at least seven people were killed and at least three rockets were fired, officials told The Associated Press. An official with the Popular Mobilization Forces said its airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda, also died.

Hours after the attack was announced, President Trump tweeted a simple image of the American flag.

Soleimani was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds Force – which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007, and is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its "shadow commander" or "spymaster."

"Soleimani is our leader" had been photographed spray-painted on windows by Iran-backed militiamen at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Their deaths marked a potential turning point in the Middle East, and are expected to draw severe retaliation from Iran and the forces it's backed in the Middle East against Israel and American interests.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Muhandis had arrived to the airport in a convoy to receive Soleimani whose plane had arrived from either Lebanon or Syria. The airstrike occurred as soon as he descended from the plane to be greeted by Muhandis and his companions, killing them all.

A senior politician said Soleimani's body was identified by the ring he wore.

Iraq’s Security Media Cell, which released information regarding Iraqi security, said the three rockets landed near the cargo hall.

Iraqi security also said two cars were on fire.

The nighttime attack occurred amid tensions with the U.S. after an Iran-backed militia attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which was targeted Tuesday by angry mobs who were protesting recent U.S. airstrikes.

The two-day siege outside of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came to an end Wednesday afternoon after dozens of pro-Iran militiamen and their supporters withdrew from the compound.

The crisis started early Tuesday, when, in an orchestrated assault, hundreds of protesters stormed the embassy compound, one of the most heavily fortified U.S. diplomatic missions in the world.

President Trump, who on Tuesday night vowed that the situation "will not be a Benghazi" -- a pointed reference to the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on the Obama administration's watch, ordered deployment of about 750 U.S. soldiers to the Middle East.

The embassy attack, one of the worst in recent memory, followed deadly U.S. airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the Iran-backed group, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The U.S. military said the airstrikes were retaliation for last week's killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, which the U.S. blamed on the militia.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper reacted on Thursday to the U.S. Embassy attack in Iraq earlier this week, saying that it's time for Iran to start "acting like a normal country.”

“We are there in Iraq working with our Iraqi partners to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Esper said on “America’s Newsroom” on Thursday.

“Through the president's direction, we were able to physically defeat the caliphate that remains physically defeated, if you will," he added. "And now, our aim is to deter further Iranian bad behavior that has been going on now for over 40 years. It's time that Iran started acting like a normal country.”

https://www.foxnews.com/world/rockets-baghdad-airport-injuries-reported

[Godfather]

https://twitter.com/NewsBreaking/status/1212919679653576704?s=20

Shit is going down in Iraq

[Muddy]

https://twitter.com/NewsBreaking/status/1212919679653576704?s=20

Shit is going down in Iraq

The Iranians are becoming too brazen and need some push back.

[DemonGeminiX]

The Democrats are whining that Trump didn't consult Congress before the strike. I wonder how many times Obama consulted Congress before carrying out his limited military operations and drone strikes?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Democrats are whining that Trump didn't consult Congress before the strike. I wonder how many times Obama consulted Congress before carrying out his limited military operations and drone strikes?

Every.Single.Time. :hand:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Danielle Wallace | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/QpvQX0Sl.jpg

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned that a "harsh retaliation is waiting" for the U.S. after an airstrike on an airport in Baghdad killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force.

The Iranian state TV carried a statement by Khamenei who also called Soleimani "the international face of resistance." Khamenei declared three days of public mourning for the general's death.

The Iranian foreign minister warned that the U.S. would bear all the consequences of the “foolish” military attack, claiming Soleimani's assassination would only escalate tensions in the region given that he was “THE most effective force” fighting terrorism carried out by the Islamic State.

Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Islamic Republic of Iran, said on Twitter that “The US' act of international terrorism, targeting & assassinating General Soleimani—THE most effective force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely dangerous & a foolish escalation.”

“The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism,” he said.
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Zarif references three affiliated Sunni Muslim extremist groups who’ve held territory in Iraq and Syria. The modern Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has ties that date back to the rise of al Qaeda in 2004 after the U.S. invaded Iraq the year before.

The Pentagon confirmed that President Trump ordered the early Friday-morning attack that killed Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, among other military officials at Baghdad International Airport. The airstrike hit in Iraq.

Many Democrats admitted that no Americans would mourn Soleimani's death but also raised concern that the escalation will put the U.S. on a crash course for a new conflict in the Mideast. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying that Trump ordered the airstrike “without the consultation of Congress.”

“American leaders’ highest priority is to protect American lives and interests,” her statement said. “But we cannot put the lives of American service members, diplomats and others further at risk by engaging in provocative and disproportionate actions. Tonight’s airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence.”

An adviser to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani also quickly warned Trump of retaliation from Tehran.

"Trump through his gamble has dragged the U.S. into the most dangerous situation in the region," Hessameddin Ashena wrote on the social media app Telegram. "Whoever put his foot beyond the red line should be ready to face its consequences."

Soleimani is the military mastermind whom Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had deemed equally as dangerous as Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In October, Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on a compound in northwest Syria, seven months after the so-called ISIS "caliphate" crumbled as the terrorist group lost its final swath of Syrian territory in March.

The overnight attack occurred amid tensions with the U.S. after an Iran-backed militia attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which was targeted Tuesday by angry mobs who were protesting recent U.S. airstrikes. The two-day siege outside of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came to an end Wednesday afternoon after dozens of pro-Iran militiamen and their supporters withdrew from the compound.

Soleimani was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds Force – which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007, and is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its "shadow commander" or "spymaster."

In April 2019, the State Department announced Iran was responsible for killing 608 U.S. troops during the Iraq War. Soleimani was the head of the Iranian and Iranian-backed forces carrying out those operations killing American troops. According to the State Department, 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 were orchestrated by Soleimani.

As recently as 2015, a travel ban and United Nations Security Council resolutions had barred Soleimani from leaving Iran.

Friday's Baghdad strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, a source told Fox News. In all, at least seven people were killed and at least three rockets were fired, officials told The Associated Press. An official with the Popular Mobilization Forces said its airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda, also died.

Fox News’ Frank Miles, Lucas Tomlinson, John Roberts, Mike Arroyo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Kenneth Garger - The New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/YJzGwTt.jpg

Democratic presidential hopefuls condemned the US airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani on Thursday night, with Joe Biden calling the attack “a hugely escalatory move” in the region.

The former vice president, in a statement, conceded that the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force deserved to face justice, but warned, “President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox.”

“He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the region. He supported terror and sowed chaos,” Biden said of Soleimani, who was killed in the strike at Baghdad’s international airport on Friday.

But, Biden said, “None of that negates the fact that this is a hugely escalatory move in an already dangerous region.”

“We could be on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East,” he said.

Another Democratic candidate for president, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, sounded off on Soleimani’s death.

“Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans,” Warren said in a statement shared to Twitter.

“But this reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict. Our priority must be to avoid another costly war.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders followed suit, saying “Trump’s dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars.”

“Trump promised to end endless wars, but this action puts us on the path to another one,” Sanders wrote on Twitter.

The Pentagon confirmed the airstrike at the direction of President Trump, saying it was carried out to protect US troops in the region against future attacks.

The Defense Department said Soleimani was planning attacks on American diplomats and soldiers in Iraq when he was killed — and accused him of approving the attack on the US embassy on Tuesday.

[DemonGeminiX]

Every.Single.Time. :hand:

:rofl:

Bull.Fucking.Shit

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Ryan Saavedra - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/AoQxHJ0l.jpg

Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) attacked President Donald Trump late on Thursday night for his order to kill top terrorist leaders in Iraq and also promoted a conspiracy theory.

Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were the two terrorist leaders who were killed. Al-Muhandis was in charge of the Iranian-linked Popular Mobilization Forces.

The Department of Defense released a statement stating that Trump ordered the strike because “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”

“General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” the Pentagon continued. “He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.”

Despite the statement from the Pentagon and the clear reasoning behind the attack, Omar responded by suggesting that Trump secretly carried out the strike to provide a “distraction” from the upcoming Senate impeachment trial.

Omar tweeted: “So what if Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the distraction? Real question is, will those with congressional authority step in and stop him? I know I will.”
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Omar has a documented history of being sympathetic to Islamic terrorists.

Trump responded to news of the strike by posting a single tweet on Twitter of an American flag.
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Fox News reporter Lucas Tomlinson reported: “State Department says Iran responsible for killing 608 U.S. troops during Iraq War. Qasem Soleimani led all Iranian and Iranian-backed forces in those operations. 17% of U.S. troops killed in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 orchestrated by Iran, State Dept. says”
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The Qod’s Force is Iran’s elite military force and is a designated terrorist organization.

The U.S. State Department reports the following details on the Qod’s Force:

The IRGC—most prominently through its Qods Force—has the greatest role among Iran’s actors in directing and carrying out a global terrorist campaign.
In recent years, IRGC Qods Force terrorist planning has been uncovered and disrupted in many countries, including Germany, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bahrain, and Turkey.
The IRGC Qods Force in 2011 plotted a brazen terrorist attack against the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. on American soil. Fortunately, this plot was foiled.
In September 2018, a U.S. federal court found Iran and the IRGC liable for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing which killed 19 Americans.
In 2012, IRGC Qods Force operatives were arrested in Turkey for plotting an attack and in Kenya for planning a bombing.
In January 2018, Germany uncovered ten IRGC operatives involved in a terrorist plot in Germany, and convicted another IRGC operative for surveilling a German-Israeli group.

[DemonGeminiX]

She's insane.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

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[Teh One Who Knocks]

1212976832544460801

[DemonGeminiX]

Lindsey Graham was just on Fox News praising the action and urging the President to go after the Iranian oil refineries.

[RBP]

1212976832544460801

puff. puff. pass.

[RBP]

If there is retaliation, I would assume it will be toward the Israelis? :-k

[Teh One Who Knocks]

If there is retaliation, I would assume it will be toward the Israelis? :-k

Hard to say, but I bet that would be part of Iran's plan. Bad idea to do it though because Israel would fuck their shit up.

https://i.imgur.com/DnbWeku.jpg

[Muddy]

1212976832544460801

Dear Rose McGowan,

Make a stand you feckless cunt.

Signed,

People that love the U.S.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Dear Rose McGowan,

Make a stand you feckless cunt.

Signed,

People that love the U.S.

She is making a stand, she's apologizing on behalf of the United States :hand:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/QWWZl1Zl.jpg

Can't say that Trump didn't warn them :dunno:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/SbQKNNTl.jpg

[RBP]

Shaun King is a piece of shit. :lol:

[Muddy]

She is making a stand, she's apologizing on behalf of the United States :hand:

It would appear you and her are united in that.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIvGTtbxL8Y

[Muddy]

Fuckin liberals man.. They threaten the survival of our great nation.

[Godfather]

I usually stay far far away from politics at work, but couldn't bite my tongue on this in the lunchroom. Colleagues saying 'He's going to start a war, so bad, why do that, blah blah...'

I reminded them gently that this guy might've been the most culpable individual of state sponsored terrorism in the Middle East, perhaps the world. From what I've read he was meeting with the guy who organized the Embassy attack, probably to congratulate him or some shit. It's not that complicated: if you don't want to be smoked by a predator drone... don't go meet with terrorists in Iraq!

Of course it's more complicated and nuanced, this guy was also beloved in Iran for being the face of 'standing up to America' for decades, but hopefully the Iranian people can see through the propaganda and understand this guy wasn't just paying lip service, he was a true piece of shit leading terrorist organizations and deserved to die.

[lost in melb.]

It's the last paragraph that worries me Gf


you can pretty much fire a missile into anywhere in Iran and hit a bad guy, but that's not the point

[lost in melb.]

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hyperbole aside, these are actually decent points.

[lost in melb.]

If there is retaliation, I would assume it will be toward the Israelis? :-k

I'm curious why you would think that. I imagine Iran is trying to work out ways to hurt the US now

[Godfather]

It's the last paragraph that worries me Gf


you can pretty much fire a missile into anywhere in Iran and hit a bad guy, but that's not the point

It worries me too... it's a bold move to finally assassinate this POS. Part of me thinks and hopes nothing will happen because Iran must know they pushed it long enough, but the fear mongers online are saying 'people don't realize but this is going to be a defining moment of the decade.' Only time will tell.

[Godfather]

I'm curious why you would think that. I imagine Iran is trying to work out ways to hurt the US now

I think RBP hit he nail on the head.

Charles Lister, director of the Countering Terrorism and Extremism program at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C, predicts Israel is a likely target. It always is when predicting what Iran will do :lol:


Lister said possible targets for Iranian retribution include Israel; the Al-Udeid air base in the city of Doha, where U.S. troops are stationed; and U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf, particularly Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Israel must agree, they placed troops on higher alert.

Another one he didn't mention that I'd be willing to bet on are oil tankers.

[RBP]

It's the last paragraph that worries me Gf

you can pretty much fire a missile into anywhere in Iran and hit a bad guy, but that's not the point

I don't believe you're that naive.

[RBP]

I'm curious why you would think that. I imagine Iran is trying to work out ways to hurt the US now

Iran is about regional control. Go after the regional ally that they know the US is required to defend. It gives them cover and the ability to claim the US is the aggressor. It's not any different than the proxy war in Yemen. I'd also expect more Iranian attacks against Saudi oil fields.

[RBP]

It worries me too... it's a bold move to finally assassinate this POS. Part of me thinks and hopes nothing will happen because Iran must know they pushed it long enough, but the fear mongers online are saying 'people don't realize but this is going to be a defining moment of the decade.' Only time will tell.

You're quoting Reddit pussies. :lol: When did the US get so soft? I agree that Obama knew it had to be done but decided to befriend Iran with cash rather than engage. Utter failure. Arab Spring. Utter failure.

The reason ISIS is decimated is a simple change in rules of engagement. I bitched for years about the US military having their hands tied. Trump unleashed the beast. About fucking time.

[lost in melb.]

I don't believe you're that naive.

The US not only went for a strategic military asset, but also a popular politician, ecetera. my feeling is that this will galvanise the Iranian population under extremist leadership, rather than divide it.

[lost in melb.]

Iran is about regional control. Go after the regional ally that they know the US is required to defend. It gives them cover and the ability to claim the US is the aggressor. It's not any different than the proxy war in Yemen. I'd also expect more Iranian attacks against Saudi oil fields.

well I guess you're saying...hurting the US by proxy. I hope that's the extent of it!

[lost in melb.]

A bit of background

Why America and Iran hate each other (https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-04/history-why-america-and-iran-hate-each-other/11589584?pfmredir=sm)

[RBP]

The US not only went for a strategic military asset, but also a popular politician, ecetera. my feeling is that this will galvanise the Iranian population under extremist leadership, rather than divide it.

I don't think that's the case. The state controlled media would have you believe that, but the actual people are not sorry to see him go.

[RBP]

A bit of background

Why America and Iran hate each other (https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-04/history-why-america-and-iran-hate-each-other/11589584?pfmredir=sm)



Very familiar. We're not over 1979, nor 1952.

[lost in melb.]

I don't think that's the case. The state controlled media would have you believe that, but the actual people are not sorry to see him go.

I'm sure many are happy to see him go. But actions like this allow the hardliners to say I told you so. But in fairness it's may be too late to pamper the country into a smooth transition. If you can't dissolve the cancer with good living, then you have to extract it brutally.

I'm not saying the strike is a bad thing, I'm just not sure yet if it's a good thing

[lost in melb.]

Also, I think the Obama approach was the correct one to take at the time. Especially given the Iraq war. Sometimes you don't know until you try. military intervention in the middle East does not have a reliable track record (either)

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27GVP8zwojI

[lost in melb.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27GVP8zwojI

How anyone can have a firm opinion on this given we know almost nothing so far, beats me. I'm talking generally.

[DemonGeminiX]

Also, I think the Obama approach was the correct one to take at the time. Especially given the Iraq war. Sometimes you don't know until you try. military intervention in the middle East does not have a reliable track record (either)

Appeasement never works with terrorists.

[lost in melb.]

Appeasement never works with terrorists.

Agreed. However terrorists in the middle East are located in countries that have decent citizens. Caution is warranted.

[DemonGeminiX]

Agreed. However terrorists in the middle East are located in countries that have decent citizens. Caution is warranted.

You're right. There are many decent human beings in Iran that are suffering under the Iranian terrorist regime. They could always run for cover.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Agreed. However terrorists in the middle East are located in countries that have decent citizens. Caution is warranted.https://i.imgur.com/qsVXCXNl.jpg

[RBP]

Also, I think the Obama approach was the correct one to take at the time. Especially given the Iraq war. Sometimes you don't know until you try. military intervention in the middle East does not have a reliable track record (either)

Eh. I disagreed from the start with his appeasement. Just be nice to them and try to understand why they hate us? We can be friends with them? Bitch, please. The Arab Spring that he touted as proof of his world-citizen appeasement policies was a complete and utter disaster.

[lost in melb.]

Eh. I disagreed from the start with his appeasement. Just be nice to them and try to understand why they hate us? We can be friends with them? Bitch, please. The Arab Spring that he touted as proof of his world-citizen appeasement policies was a complete and utter disaster.

So break its back, like you did with a Iraq. Ok, I understand you now...

[lost in melb.]

So break its back, like you did with a Iraq. Ok, I understand you now...

Or perhaps I should ask, what level of engagement are you suggesting?

[KevinD]

Scorched earth sounds about right to me.
On the other hand, none of us (1st world countries) should be involved in the middle east. It's been a shithole for thousands of years. Theres no wining there. Hearts and minds is a fallacy.

[DemonGeminiX]

And now the Iraqi Parliament has voted to expel the US Troops stationed there after the drone strike.

[lost in melb.]

And now the Iraqi Parliament has voted to expel the US Troops stationed there after the drone strike.

if there's one thing that unifies the middle East it is hatred of foreign interference

[Muddy]

if there's one thing that unifies the middle East it is hatred of foreign interference

If we had left Saddam Hussein in place we would never be in this situation

[DemonGeminiX]

if there's one thing that unifies the middle East it is hatred of foreign interference

I don't think that's all there is to it. I think the Iraqis are scared that the Iranians might up their terrorist attacks in Iraq if they don't pull something like this. The Sunni Iraqis were dancing in the streets right after Soleimani was killed.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By David Aaro | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/WfeOuaK.jpg

The daughter of slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani warned the families of U.S. soldiers deployed in the Middle East that they "will spend their days waiting for the death of their children" during the funeral Monday in Tehran.

While speaking to a vast crowd at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square, Soleimani's daughter, Zeinab, directly threatened an attack on the U.S. military in the region, following an increase in tensions between Tehran and Washington.

"Families of the American soldiers in western Asia have witnessed America's humiliation in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Yemen and Palestine wars, and will spend their days waiting for the death of their children," she said in Farsi, which was translated by the Associated Press.

https://i.imgur.com/X5GNqTv.png

During the funeral, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- who had a close relationship with Soleimani -- wept and prayed over his casket and the caskets of others killed during traditional Muslim prayers for the dead.

Esmail Ghaani, the general replacing Soleimani reportedly stood near Khamenei during the funeral. Iranian President Hassan Rouhbaani and other top leaders within the Islamic Republic were also in attendance.

https://i.imgur.com/m893921.png

Demonstrators unfurled red Shiite flags, which traditionally symbolize both the spilled blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance.

https://i.imgur.com/v12RdQe.png

The processions mark the first time Iran honored a single man with a multi-city ceremony. Not even Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic, received such a processional with his death in 1989. Soleimani on Monday will lie in state at Tehran’s famed Musalla mosque as the revolutionary leader did before him.

Soleimani will be buried in his hometown of Kerman.

The Associated Press contributed to the report

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Sam Dorman | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/r9EGUAL.jpg

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick on Saturday accused the United States of targeting minorities "at home and abroad," just days after the administration ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

"There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism," he tweeted.
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In a separate tweet, Kaepernick decried "American imperialism" and its "policing and plundering of the nonwhite world."

"America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad," he wrote. "America militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the nonwhite world."
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It's unclear what specifically Kaepernick was referring to, but his comments came amid left-leaning criticism of President Trump's decision to kill Soleimani, who led the elite Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); the U.S. government has long considered him a terrorist.

Kaepernick's agent did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

The ex-NFL player previously faced a wave of backlash after he claimed to protest systemic racism by kneeling during the National Anthem. On Thanksgiving, Kaepernick attended an "Unthanksgiving event" where he accused the United States of stealing "over 1.5 billion acres of land from Indigenous people."

Kaepernick had already faced immense criticism for previous comments, apparently pressuring NFL teams to avoid recruiting him.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to quash any possibility of a Kaepernick comeback in December.

Speaking to reporters at the league’s winter meetings in Irving, Texas, Goodell addressed the scheduled Kaepernick workout for NFL teams in November -- an event that all but collapsed when Kaepernick decided at the last minute to relocate it away from the facility that he and league officials had initially agreed upon.

“This was about creating an opportunity. We created that opportunity. It was a unique opportunity, a credible opportunity,” Goodell said, according to Reuters, “and he chose not to take it. I understand that."

“We’ve moved on,” the commissioner added, suggesting that the league was finished considering Kaepernick for future workouts or team roster openings.

[Griffin]

The next time Kaepernick leaves the country he should be put on the no fly list.

[Muddy]

By David Aaro | Fox News



https://i.imgur.com/v12RdQe.png




https://youtu.be/JxPj3GAYYZ0

[lost in melb.]

Clearly an unpopular figure. I'm sure they'll let this one slip... :obama:




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x88HVir4qA&feature=emb_logo

[lost in melb.]

The next time Kaepernick leaves the country he should be put on the no fly list.

How does this pillow-biter coordinate a ball when he can't even coordinate a thought? :tapfoot:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Clearly an unpopular figure. I'm sure they'll let this one slip... :obama:




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x88HVir4qA&feature=emb_logo

https://i.imgur.com/uXpwSu6.png

This used to happen in Iraq....so I suppose that means Saddam was beloved country-wide too, right? ;)

[lost in melb.]

https://i.imgur.com/uXpwSu6.png

This used to happen in Iraq....so I suppose that means Saddam was beloved country-wide too, right? ;)

yes, but compare this to Saddam's funeral ;)

[lost in melb.]

Jesus :shock:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgNPup2IzA

[lost in melb.]

What have you guys unleashed here?



























p.s. good luck, we're not helping this time :fu:

[Muddy]

What have you guys unleashed here?


p.s. good luck, we're not helping this time :fu:

Blah blah blah.. Come on dude, what were we sposed to do? Let them continue to escalate? A stand needed to be made.

[lost in melb.]

Blah blah blah.. Come on dude, what were we sposed to do? Let them continue to escalate? A stand needed to be made.

Yes, and a stand you have made! The whole world watches.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yes, and a stand you have made! The whole world watches.

If you think that Iran stands a chance in a full-blown war with the United States, you're as naive as they (Iran) are. This won't be the Obama military style of fight with one hand tied behind our back, this will be the President unleashing the full military force of the United States if Iran decides it want to push this all the way.

[Muddy]

If you think that Iran stands a chance in a full-blown war with the United States, you're as naive as they (Iran) are. This won't be the Obama military style of fight with one hand tied behind our back style, this will be the President unleashing the full military force of the United States if Iran decides it want to push this all the way.

Yeah, I don't think they realize what we are capable of. They need to put those bibles away and start looking at the numbers.

[DemonGeminiX]

Jesus :shock:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgNPup2IzA

You do understand that Iran's government is a totalitarian government revolving around one sect of Islam, right? And that totalitarian government enforces their rule through terror tactics? Those people don't have the freedoms that we enjoy. I suspect that the majority of the Iranian people in that crowd are there because they don't want to get murdered... kinda like how the North Koreans are with their people.

[lost in melb.]

If you think that Iran stands a chance in a full-blown war with the United States, you're as naive as they (Iran) are. This won't be the Obama military style of fight with one hand tied behind our back, this will be the President unleashing the full military force of the United States if Iran decides it want to push this all the way.

Oh, you'll win. Of that I have no doubt. But what will you win? the moment these regimes topple, it's all factions and terrorism. good luck with that. Europe will thank you when the refugees flood in

[lost in melb.]

You do understand that Iran's government is a totalitarian government revolving around one sect of Islam, right? And that totalitarian government enforces their rule through terror tactics? Those people don't have the freedoms that we enjoy. I suspect that the majority of the Iranian people in that crowd are there because they don't want to get murdered... kinda like how the North Koreans are with their people.

Yes I understand. But it's nothing like Iraq was under Hussain. It's reasonably civilized by middle East standards

[DemonGeminiX]

:-s

They enforce their rule through terror tactics, you understand that, and you still say they're reasonably civilized?

[RBP]

Or perhaps I should ask, what level of engagement are you suggesting?

I am not suggesting anything other than mafia rules. You kill my brother, I kill your whole fucking family. Capisce?

[RBP]

Yes I understand. But it's nothing like Iraq was under Hussain. It's reasonably civilized by middle East standards

Yes, and most feminists are reasonable adults. But they don't control the agenda.

[lost in melb.]

:-s

They enforce their rule through terror tactics, you understand that, and you still say they're reasonably civilized?
It's not a worn torn, ripped up dust bowl with marauding gangsters (yet)
It's a reasonably functioning country for the middle East. For example, they have the nous to do nuclear stuff

[lost in melb.]

Yes, and most feminists are reasonable adults. But they don't control the agenda.

Sometimes your analogies are so nuanced that I literally squint

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I am not suggesting anything other than mafia rules. You kill my brother, I kill your whole fucking family. Capisce?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgoDvnebHRw

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Danielle Wallace | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/9vDrhEF.jpg

At least 35 people were killed and another 48 injured in a stampede Tuesday that broke out during a funeral procession for the Iranian general killed last week in a U.S.-led airstrike, according to Iranian state media.

The incident occurred in Gen. Qassem Soleimani's hometown of Kerman, in southeastern Iran, according to Iran's state media. The report quoted the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, according to the Associated Press.

Iran has promised retaliation on American interests in the Middle East after an airstrike Thursday at Baghdad International Airport killed the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, and five other people.

A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital for the man viewed as a national hero. The funeral continued into Iran’s holy city of Qom, where another massive crowd turned out, before Soleimani's remains and those of the others killed in the airstrike were brought to a central square in Kerman, where the general was set to be buried Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[lost in melb.]

35 less that you need to worry about :dunno:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Peter Hasson - The Daily Caller


https://i.imgur.com/UjXiGMAl.jpg

MSNBC anchor Katy Tur expressed amazement at the size of funeral crowds Monday for deceased Iranian terrorist Qasem Soleimani.

Tur called the funeral turnout “a stunning show of solidarity” and added that it “seems President [Donald] Trump did what the Iranian government has been unable to do: unite the country.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhcxum4xm1o

Tur’s amazement at the crowd sizes is exactly how Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad urged Western media outlets not to react.

Alinejad wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Monday that the Iranian government had pressured its people to publicly mourn the terrorist’s death and chided the media’s “unwarranted gullibility” toward Iranian propaganda.

“For anyone watching, I have one piece of advice: Don’t take what you’re seeing at face value,” she wrote.

“In the city of Ahvaz, where large numbers of people turned out to mourn Soleimani, the government has forced students and officials to attend. It provided free transport and ordered shops to shut down,” she added. “According to videos sent to me by people inside the country, the authorities are making little kids write essays praising the fallen commander. First-graders who didn’t know how to write were encouraged to cry for Soleimani.”

“The media in the Islamic Republic is heavily controlled. Public gatherings are allowed only if they are pro-regime. Critics are jailed or shot. (Even I, living outside the country, have received a death threat on Iranian national TV for my coverage of Soleimani’s killing.) So it’s not hard to use all the tools and resources of the state to stage a funeral procession,” the Iranian journalist wrote later in her op-ed.

She noted that she has “received thousands of messages, voice mails and videos from Iranians in cities such as Shiraz, Isfahan, Tehran and even Ahvaz, who are happy about Soleimani’s death. Some complain of the pressure to attend services for him.”

Alinejad gave a similar warning in a Fox News interview on Jan. 3 and said, “The fact is this: many Iranians do not see him as a hero and if you go to social media, that they are very happy.”

She added later in the interview that journalists on the ground in Iran are “only allowed to cover the story where the ministry of culture tells them to cover, otherwise they will lose their connection.”

“So, for most of the media, it’s important to have connection with [Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad] Javad Zarif, with our political leaders, and that is why they cannot tell you that how much people are actually angry, frustrated, because of these terrorist warmongers,” she continued.

[lost in melb.]

Even Iran reformists and moderates criticise Trump attack that killed top general
Activists warn that moderates who have been pushing for engagement with the West will now be further sidelined (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/iran-trump-soleimani-dead-airstrike-isis-irgc-a9269961.html?amp)



I don't trust any media from any side on the full story here

[PorkChopSandwiches]

I cant believe these libtards

[RBP]

I cant believe these libtards

The level of anti-American rhetoric from AMERICANS is unbelievable.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And it's on. Multiple news outlets are reporting that Iran launched a barrage of missiles at a US base in Iraq.

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Iran took &amp; concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens &amp; senior officials were launched.<br><br>We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.</p>&mdash; Javad Zarif (@JZarif) <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1214736614217469953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There we go. All settled and fair. No casualties.

Now we can get on with our lives

[DemonGeminiX]

This kind of sums up how I feel about this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjlV_QKTcoM

[lost in melb.]

This kind of sums up how I feel about this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjlV_QKTcoM

Are you imagining yourself as the tattooed thug or the skinny nublett? :-k

[DemonGeminiX]

:lol:

I know you're kidding.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Michael Pregent | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/h746NkAl.jpg

Iranian missile attacks on two joint U.S.-Iraqi military bases Wednesday morning didn’t kill or injure any Americans, according to initial reports – and that appears to have been a deliberate move by Iran to avoid a retaliatory strike by U.S. forces.

Iran had to strike back at the U.S. in some way after an American drone attack ordered by President Trump killed Iranian terrorist Gen. Qassem Soleimani and other terrorists Friday morning in Iraq. But the leaders of the Iranian regime are smart enough to know that if they had killed Americans in their retaliatory attack, Trump would have responded with deadly force.

This could have sparked a rapidly escalating series of strikes and counterstrikes as each side hit back at the other and could have eventually led to a costly war that would have hurt Iran far more than the U.S.

Iran called on the U.S. not to retaliate after the Islamic Republic launched as many as 15 ballistic missiles at the bases where U.S. troops were stationed – a clear indication that Iran wants to avoid further military conflict with the far more powerful American forces.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted after the attacks: “Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched. We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”

The lesson here is that despite Iran’s tough talk and threats, it fears the power of the U.S. and doesn’t want a military confrontation with America that could lead to a U.S. invasion – the fate that befell its neighbors Iraq and Afghanistan.

In fact, the U.S. killing of Soleimani was such a severe blow to the Iranian regime that it may be the de-escalation event we were looking for to ratchet down tensions with Iran.

As a result, Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani – a terrorist responsible for the death of more than 600 Americans and thousands of others – was a double victory for the U.S.

First, eliminating Soleimani ensures he will never lead another deadly attack. And second, the killing is a stern warning to Iran that the Trump administration is not afraid to attack when warranted.

The killing of Soleimani and other terrorists followed an attack by a militia backed by Iran that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded four other Americans in December. The U.S. conducted airstrikes on five bases belonging to the terrorist militia Kataib Hezbollah in retaliation.

That American action prompted Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes – the commander of Kataib Hezbollah – to join with other militia leaders to attack the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

A day later President Trump decided to target Soleimani – the man responsible for the escalation in Iraq and across the region and the one man whose death would send a clear warning to Iran to back off. Or else.

Trump appears to have asked himself the right question: Who do we take out to stop these Iranian attacks? The answer was Soleimani.

Trump should be commended for ordering the drone strike that killed both Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes –the two most powerful men undermining the U.S. presence in Iraq and the region.

Mohandes’ death could be a de-escalation event for Iraq.

It’s time now for the Iraqi government to tell Iran to stop killing Iraqis, and time for Iraq to target and arrest members of the Iranian-backed militias.

If Iraq refuses, the U.S. must come to the realization that the Iraqi government is more interested in being allied with Iran. That will lead to a U.S. troop withdrawal and loss of support for the Iraqi government. The big loser, if that happens, will be Iraq and its people.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched.<br><br>We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.</p>— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1214736614217469953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There we go. All settled and fair. No casualties.

Now we can get on with our lives

Are you the Iranian Minister of Propaganda now? :-s

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Vandana Rambaran | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/V3GpNmZl.jpg

Democratic presidential primary candidate Joe Biden urged President Trump to heed advice from his national security advisers and team of military officials when responding to escalating tensions with Iran after earlier comments Tuesday, where he called the president "dangerously incompetent" and on the verge of leading the U.S. into another war in the Middle East.

Following Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. military and coalition forces at two bases in Iraq early Wednesday, Biden, who was speaking a campaign fundraiser in Philadelphia, said: “I just pray to God as [Trump] goes through what’s happening, as we speak, that he’s listening to his military commanders for the first time because so far that has not been the case."

At an earlier campaign event in New York, Biden lambasted the president's “haphazard” decision to launch a drone attack at Baghdad International Airport early Friday that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and six others, which triggered threats and ambushes against U.S. military posts in Iraq thereafter by Iran in retaliation.

Biden accused Trump of inadequately consulting Congress or U.S. allies in the region before carrying out the attack and blamed the president for his constant “tweets, threats and tantrums,” calling him “dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership.”

“Democracy runs on accountability,” Biden said, urging Trump to consult with Congress on acts of war, as required by the Constitution. “No one wants war. But it’s going to take hard work to make sure we don’t end up there accidentally.”

In the days following the U.S.-led attack on Soleimani, Biden sought to stand out among his 2020 contenders with his decades' worth of foreign policy experience.

But less than a month away from the crucial Iowa caucus, Biden's track record has come under scrutiny of its own, as his progressive opponents with noninterventionist approaches criticize his vote to approve invading Iraq in 2002 even as he now stresses the importance of exerting caution when brokering peace in the Middle East.

During his tenure as vice president to then-President Barack Obama, Biden butted heads with the president, in his disapproval of the decision to pursue a raid in Pakistan that ultimately resulted in the killing of Usama bin Laden in 2011 -- an example that Republicans and Trump have singled out as evidence that Biden is weak when it comes to utilizing military force.

Still, the 77-year-old candidate has repeatedly touted his relationships with "every single world leader," and has focused his proposed foreign policy agenda on fostering diplomacy with other nations.

Biden called the crisis in Iran “totally of Donald Trump’s making,” and said that Soleimani's death was a result of Trump's decision to withdraw from a multilateral deal in which Iran had agreed to curtail its nuclear program that Biden says “was working, serving America’s interests and the region’s interests."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Joseph A. Wulfsohn | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/0aR0ZkAl.jpg

Time Magazine was slammed on Tuesday over a bizarre article meant to help parents explain the significance of the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

"If you need help talking with the children in your life about the aftermath of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani's killing, @timesforkids has a guide to explaining the topic," Time tweeted.

In the introduction to the "guide," Time for Kids executive editor Jaime Joyce acknowledged that children who are watching the news "are likely to have lots of questions" about last week's airstrike ordered by President Trump and that it's a "difficult topic to explain to kids."

"Trust your instincts. You know your kids best. Use that knowledge to gauge the depth and breadth of your discussion," Joyce wrote. "Sometimes, it’s best to let a child take the lead and only answer the questions that are asked. Often, brief and simple answers can satisfy a child’s curiosity."
1214569882370613249
However, some of the questions and answers in the so-called "guide" raise eyebrows.

"Who was [Qassem] Soleimani? [Qassem] Soleimani was a top military leader in Iran, a country in the Middle East," the guide simply stated, without going into any detail about the hundreds of American and the thousands of civilians Soleimani is said to be responsible for over decades.

"Why did the U.S. take action against Soleimani? President Donald Trump has called Soleimani a terrorist," the guide continued. "Trump says Soleimani ordered attacks on American military and diplomats and was planning attacks against Americans in the Middle East. For this reason, Trump ordered the U.S. military to kill Soleimani. The drone attack took place at an airport in Baghdad, in Iraq. An Iraqi leader was also killed."

It added, "The U.S. strike came after a series of recent attacks by Iran against Americans in Iraq. On Dec. 27, a rocket strike killed one American civilian and wounded several U.S. service members. There was also a Dec. 31 attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq. Trump says Soleimani ordered these attacks."

Under the question, "Why don't the U.S. and Iran get along?" Joyce pointed to the 1979 hostage crisis and noted that "tensions increased" in 2018 when Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Agreement and hitting the regime with sanctions that have "hurt Iran's economy." However, the guide doesn't acknowledge Soleimani's heavy involvement in terrorist acts and other acts of violence throughout the Middle East.

The "guide" was widely mocked on social media, with critics coming up with what they would say to their own kids.

"A bad man who killed tens of thousands of people including hundreds of Americans was blown up," conservative commentator Ben Shapiro responded.

“The guy who threatened another Holocaust of our people, and who had the means to try to carry it out, is gone. I hope that’s ok with you kids.” Washington Examiner executive editor Seth Mandel wrote.
1214606640759988224
1214604712412110848
1214595509681348610
1214594182188322816
Others slammed Time Magazine for the substance of the guide.

"@TIME Magazine published a guide for how to talk to your kids about the death of Soleimani and the situation with Iran. They describe Soleimani as a 'top military leader' and attribute the fact that he’s a terrorist to Trump’s opinion only," journalist Steve Krakauer reacted.

"Our military killed a terrorist. This headline makes it sound like he was a role model. Ridiculous," Casey Contres, campaign manager for Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., tweeted.

"TIME for Kids”? I thought it was called @voxdotcom," writer Kate Hyde joked.

[lost in melb.]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unless &quot;Soleimani&quot; is an XBox game --- they don&#39;t really care. <a href="https://t.co/BKAGryOAD4">pic.twitter.com/BKAGryOAD4</a></p>&mdash; Scott D. Roberts (@Braint10) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braint10/status/1214594765792010240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82YzjMrUgTM

[Muddy]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched.<br><br>We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.</p>— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1214736614217469953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There we go. All settled and fair. No casualties.

Now we can get on with our lives

Is it fair? We took out the mastermind of 2 terrorist attacks on our embassy in a country that was not theirs.

[Muddy]

By Vandana Rambaran | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/V3GpNmZl.jpg

Democratic presidential primary candidate Joe Biden urged President Trump to heed advice from his national security advisers and team of military officials when responding to escalating tensions with Iran after earlier comments Tuesday, where he called the president "dangerously incompetent" and on the verge of leading the U.S. into another war in the Middle East.

Following Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. military and coalition forces at two bases in Iraq early Wednesday, Biden, who was speaking a campaign fundraiser in Philadelphia, said: “I just pray to God as [Trump] goes through what’s happening, as we speak, that he’s listening to his military commanders for the first time because so far that has not been the case."

At an earlier campaign event in New York, Biden lambasted the president's “haphazard” decision to launch a drone attack at Baghdad International Airport early Friday that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and six others, which triggered threats and ambushes against U.S. military posts in Iraq thereafter by Iran in retaliation.

Biden accused Trump of inadequately consulting Congress or U.S. allies in the region before carrying out the attack and blamed the president for his constant “tweets, threats and tantrums,” calling him “dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership.”

“Democracy runs on accountability,” Biden said, urging Trump to consult with Congress on acts of war, as required by the Constitution. “No one wants war. But it’s going to take hard work to make sure we don’t end up there accidentally.”

In the days following the U.S.-led attack on Soleimani, Biden sought to stand out among his 2020 contenders with his decades' worth of foreign policy experience.

But less than a month away from the crucial Iowa caucus, Biden's track record has come under scrutiny of its own, as his progressive opponents with noninterventionist approaches criticize his vote to approve invading Iraq in 2002 even as he now stresses the importance of exerting caution when brokering peace in the Middle East.

During his tenure as vice president to then-President Barack Obama, Biden butted heads with the president, in his disapproval of the decision to pursue a raid in Pakistan that ultimately resulted in the killing of Usama bin Laden in 2011 -- an example that Republicans and Trump have singled out as evidence that Biden is weak when it comes to utilizing military force.

Still, the 77-year-old candidate has repeatedly touted his relationships with "every single world leader," and has focused his proposed foreign policy agenda on fostering diplomacy with other nations.

Biden called the crisis in Iran “totally of Donald Trump’s making,” and said that Soleimani's death was a result of Trump's decision to withdraw from a multilateral deal in which Iran had agreed to curtail its nuclear program that Biden says “was working, serving America’s interests and the region’s interests."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

OK there, Corn Pop..

:uhhuh:

[lost in melb.]

Is it fair? We took out the mastermind of 2 terrorist attacks on our embassy in a country that was not theirs.

Probably true, and the rest. but I would still like to hear evidence from sources other than Pentagon statements.

[Muddy]

Probably true, and the rest. but I would still like to hear evidence from sources other than Pentagon statements.

I think they had to make some sort of "response" to our killing that guy to keep face with their residents. Not killing any Americans was in my opinion a very good plan on their part. No need to rub Irans face in doodoo, thats where the hard core wars start because it all becomes about machismo and national pride once you go there. (Which I totally think we are capable of.. rubbing their faces in doodoo like you would do a bad dog). But hey, they are people too.. Walk away for now would be my advice to the US gov.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

OK there, Corn Pop..

:uhhuh:

Corn Pop was a bad dude and he ran a bunch of bad boys :hand:

[Muddy]

Corn Pop was a bad dude and he ran a bunch of bad boys :hand:

He had a switch blade you know..?

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zoG_CNXQ2c