Posted on 01/04/2020 7:33:59 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
In mid-October, Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani met with his Iraqi Shi’ite militia allies at a villa on the banks of the Tigris River, looking across at the U.S. embassy complex in Baghdad.
The Revolutionary Guards commander instructed his top ally in Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and other powerful Pro-Iran militia leaders to step up attacks on U.S. targets in the country using sophisticated new weapons provided by Iran, two militia commanders and two security sources briefed on the gathering told Reuters.
The strategy session, which has not been previously reported, came as mass protests against Iran’s growing influence in Iraq were gaining momentum, putting the Islamic Republic in an unwelcome spotlight. Soleimani’s plans to attack U.S. forces aimed to provoke a military response that would redirect that rising anger toward the United States, according to the sources briefed on the gathering, Iraqi Shi’ite politicians, and government officials close to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Soleimani’s efforts ended up provoking the U.S. attack on Friday that killed him and Muhandis, marking a major escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran. The two men died in air strikes on their convoy at a Baghdad airport as they headed to the capital, dealing a major blow to the Islamic Republic and the many Iraqi paramilitary groups it supports.
Interviews with the Iraqi security sources and Shi’ite militia commanders offer a rare glimpse of how Soleimani operated in Iraq, which he once told a Reuters reporter he knew like the back of his hand.
Two weeks before the October meeting, Soleimani ordered Iranian Revolutionary Guards to move more sophisticated weapons—such as Soviet-era Katyusha rockets and shoulder-fired missiles that could bring down helicopters—to Iraq through two border crossings, the militia commanders and Iraqi security sources told Reuters.
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
Who in Congress leaked this?
Let’s spread this bit of leaked intelligence. This leak doesn’t harm US security interests, it simply lets the Iranians know we have the goods on them.
And this leak shows Trump was FULLY JUSTIFIED in taking his actions.
No Dem leaked this since it backs up what Pompeo and Trump said. So many Dems are saying Trump etc are lyinh.
This disproves it
I think the administration leaked it because it shows precisely why we were justified in offing Soleimani.The Dems are going to be hard pressed to push forward with their storyline that Trump was out of control. The leak shows a very rational decision based on Iran’s specific plans to directly attack out troops throughout the Middle East, I am surprised Reuters published it because it puts the decision in a positive light
Wow this story puts the nail in the coffin of the Democrats’latest treason. This is Reuters’ own reporting justifying our strike against these guys.
Until Trump begins hammering Iranian military equipment stores and supply depots with missile strikes every time the Iranians act up, the Iranians are gonna continue pulling the slot machine lever, hoping for the jackpot.
Gee, and that was before we took out what’-his-name.
Imagine that!
We didn’t even have to do anything to provoke more attacks.
Wow, what got into al-Reuters?
We didn’t even have to do anything to provoke more attacks.
Imagine that! /s
IMHO, over 90% of the public, and a disturbing % of FReepers really DON'T understand the full nature of the struggle we are in, and what has to happen to survive it with "acceptable" losses, much less end it, assuming we will not submit to Islam OR commit the worst genocide this planet has ever seen. Dubya got halfway there in that speech he made after 911, basically announcing the War On Terror, but even then, he failed to lay it all out on the line, so to speak. (I consider that his biggest failure, by far.) In terms of ending it, el-Sisi in Egypt has been more honest and more comprehensive in that honesty, at least at times.
“step up attacks on U.S. targets in the country using sophisticated new weapons provided by Iran”
I smell the stench of fake news. Why weren’t these
new weapons used against the embassy? Although, the
article does lend some justification as to why this
guy was blown to smithereens.
My question too. The media canonization of Soleimani appears to have foundered on the rock of awkward recent history. As one commentator put it, Soleimani was responsible for the death of thousands of Muslims, which is more than you can say against Trump.
The fact that Trump didn't take care of Soleimani makes him CULPABLE in their deaths, which is an IMPEACHABLE offense, and SO IS not TELLING Congress about the hit in advance. /s
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.