Multiple news sources are reporting the assassination, near Baghdad Airport, of Suliemani, the leader of Irans Quds force. Some commentators are saying that this is "bigger than killing Bin Laden". According to the Pentagon, the assassination was at the direct command of President Trump. I am afraid this event, allegedly taken to forestall further attacks on US forces in Iraq, may have unintended consequences.
To me, the logic of Trump in doing this is unfathomable. Did he intend to provoke Iran and the Russians? What did he expect to achieve? Clearly the stress on the Iraqi Government is going to be extreme. How has this assassination improved the security of U.S. forces in the region? What does the Committee think?
The ONLY relevant question to ask and by which to interpret so-called "American" foreign policy is this:
Does it benefit Israel?
And yes, yes it does in fact.
Posted by: Unhinged Citizen | 03 January 2020 at 12:34 PM
Colonel,
There aren't too many of those left in Baghdad, and those that remain are beaten down enough to the point where a public demonstration of any type is unthinkable
Posted by: Serge | 03 January 2020 at 01:44 PM
Agreed. I cannot imagine how Iraq can continue to allow the US military to remain in Iraq after the US bombs its security forces and drone strikes its military leaders, along with an ally leader, at its international airport. All the US has done is reinforce the belief that the US is an enemy of Iraq.
This most likely also means the end of our Syrian adventures, The US bases in Syria are supplied via Iraq. I doubt Iraq will allow the US to move supplies over Iraq after this. Without supply lines through Iraq, these bases must be abandoned.
As to what Iran does, who’s to say? Same as we wouldn’t overlook if Iran assassinated General Petraeus, I’m sure they will think of something unpleasant for us and/or our allies in the area.
What I can say is that Trump’s assassinating these military commanders is about the stupidest and most counterproductive thing he could have done. His bad decision making has been evident ever since he lost the fortune his father bequeathed him. He’s way over his head.
Posted by: LA Sox Fan | 03 January 2020 at 01:47 PM
Err, the Iraqis made us leave once already when we had 100,000 troops there. The 5,000 there currently cannot stay without the Iraq government’s help. Please note that Russia has decimated ISIS in Syria and ISIS no longer has a safe haven there. If ISIS comes back Iraq can ask the Russians for help.
Posted by: LA Sox Fan | 03 January 2020 at 01:53 PM
Trump is a man of Israel. This is a 100% Israeli-styled response to what amounted to a brief embarrassment (the embassy riot.)
Posted by: aaaa | 03 January 2020 at 02:09 PM
your moron in chief just made EVERY high ranking murican a target😉
the prez just changed the rules of engagement and not in a good way for the destroyers of peace aka murcan regime solidiers.
Posted by: Per/Norway | 03 January 2020 at 02:28 PM
Does anyone know an how many 82nd Air Born soldiers are now
headed to Iraq & what is their mission? I think I've read numbers
ranging from 800 to 5,000
Posted by: elaine | 03 January 2020 at 02:41 PM
Prawnik,
America left Iraq, last time. When Obama let the generals negotiate the failed SOFA. [Lots of contractors and "trainers" remained. But everybody else did leave.]
So we (most likely) will leave again, if asked. After all, we still do not have a SOFA.
Posted by: Jimmy_W | 03 January 2020 at 02:53 PM
Not that it makes much more than an academic difference at this point, but I suspect Trump was suckered by the war party. "Gee boss, we've int that he's plotting something big"and he's in our sights" "OK. Shoot"
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/politics/donald-trump-iran-statement/index.html?utm_content=2020-01-03T20%3A40%3A05&utm_source=twCNN&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link
Posted by: Patrick Armstrong | 03 January 2020 at 04:11 PM
FYI - Breitbart is a weak pulse: its comments are among the most heavily moderated (supposedly with JIDF 'assistance') of extant comment sections.
Posted by: Vegetius | 03 January 2020 at 04:12 PM
Yeah, there is no inherent historical tension between Arabs and Persians. No Iraq Iranian war in the 80s. no tension between the Sunnis and the Shia. Its all part of my limited and uniformed imagination. Pepe Escobar says so.
And no, I have not been to the Middle East. But I have not died, either. However, I could still write an obituary. You want to sell me on the idea that Suleimani had an 86% approval rating? Really? Not an 85% rating. Or a n 87% rating. No, an precise figure....86%. the polls say so. Pathetic. And you want to lecture me. Sure.....
Posted by: jonst | 03 January 2020 at 04:17 PM
Sir, if you were Esmail Ghaani, what are you recommending to El Supremo?
Posted by: Vegetius | 03 January 2020 at 04:19 PM
As far as I can tell, something like three-quarters of the Democrat base and something less than half but more than a quarter of Republicans have no appetite for any sort of a war at any time for any reason save another 9/11.
And even then they will want it all to be done via airmail.
Posted by: Vegetius | 03 January 2020 at 04:28 PM
Pardon me while I slip on my pedantic-pants, but if the Americans say "Make us" then how, exactly, is it possible to keep pretending that this is not a belligerent occupation?
Hague Regulations, 1907: "Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised."
If US military personnel refuse to leave then, axiomatically, the Iraqi govt has lost its "authority" over its own territory, and that authority now resides with the US Army.
Posted by: Something To Think About | 03 January 2020 at 04:48 PM
" The fact that the US airstrike campaign in Iraq/Syria was the most effective factor in the elimination of the group "
Obama may have been shooting a line but he stated "The reason ... that we did not just start taking a bunch of airstrikes all across Iraq as soon as ISIL came in was because that would have taken the pressure off of [Prime Minister Nuri Kamal] al-Maliki.”
https://www.investors.com/politics/columnists/isis-obama-iraq-christians-yazedis/
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/opinion/president-obama-thomas-l-friedman-iraq-and-world-affairs.html?_r=0
Elsewhere the advance of IS was not halted until the Iranians and particularly the Russians came in. My understanding was that Western action against the Jihadists was ineffectual until that time. There's also the consideration that we put many of them there in the first place.
I'm willing to be corrected but my impression is that our actions were not the most effective.
Posted by: English Outsider | 03 January 2020 at 05:02 PM
Israel tried to assassinate Sulieimani back in October last year, but the plan leaked so the plot failed.
Trump's assassination of Suliemani is simply his Jews ordering him to do the job and take the blame.
In their Clean Break Plan the US invasion of Iraq was suppose to make Iraq the launching pad for war on Iran.
So here we are, right back in 2003.
Posted by: catherine | 03 January 2020 at 05:26 PM
Marines, weren't they?
Posted by: Stumpy | 03 January 2020 at 05:34 PM
Hearing first news of this left me thought-stopped. For now, all I can say is that Trump is a Big Boy, he wanted the Big Job, and he is the Final Decider who owns the Final Decisions . . . however much Trump fans may want to absolve Trump of responsibility for Trump's final ownership of this decision by noting all the various manipulators who could have "made him do it."
This sounds like exactly the sort of "Clinton in Syria" action which Trump purported to run against all through his campaign.
Posted by: different clue | 03 January 2020 at 08:45 PM
Thanks for that.
I live outside the US, and have noticed how a lot of my fellow citizens labor under the falsehood that the US was a key hero in defeating ISIS/ISIL.
I do not understand how anyone could possibly come to that conclusion.
The US provided significant support to the Iraqi forces in a few key operations. Also, general and minimal support to the Kurds. Arms sales to both--and also ISIS/ISIL/Al Qaeda. Beyond that, I don't remember US forces were much involved.
Posted by: Pacifica Advocate | 03 January 2020 at 08:46 PM
Where on earth did you get that idea?
Obama is the only president to be at war for every day of his presidency, and he's Minority Jesus to most Dems.
Posted by: Pacifica Advocate | 03 January 2020 at 08:49 PM
I wonder if Trump got the "intel" directly from Netanyahu.
Posted by: optimax | 03 January 2020 at 09:25 PM
Regardless of their feelings about Suleimani there are plenty of nationalistic Iraqi Sunnis who will be outraged by this act as it makes a complete mockery of any pretence of Iraqi sovereignty.
Posted by: Chicot | 04 January 2020 at 08:47 AM
I have questions which nobody asked here – why did USA admit that it has killed Soleimani. Was it necessary? And why did they do it on the ground in Iraq? It would have been much easier to shoot down the plane he was flying from Lebanon. The Iranians would have “no leg to stand on” to claim that Americans did it, there would be foggy talk about, “possibly by ISIS, or by mistake by Iraqi”, etc etc) It would have been so easy to say, as Israeli do, “we do not comment” after they assassinate someone. Another question – why there is no connection made between killing of Kashoggi and Soleimani? Both killings were perpetrated by “allies in arms”. SST articles and comments show how important it has become to have it, as Decameron hopes in his previous comment.
Posted by: fanto | 04 January 2020 at 02:10 PM