Posted on 01/13/2020 9:12:38 PM PST by Mariner
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.
The presidential directive in June came with the condition that Trump would have final signoff on any specific operation to kill Soleimani, officials said.
That decision explains why assassinating Soleimani was on the menu of options that the military presented to Trump two weeks ago for responding to an attack by Iranian proxies in Iraq, in which a U.S. contractor was killed and four U.S. service members were wounded, the officials said.
The timing, however, could undermine the Trump administration's stated justification for ordering the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. Officials have said Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, was planning imminent attacks on Americans and had to be stopped.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
On condition he needed killing.
>>> The timing, however, could undermine the Trump administration’s stated justification [snip] Quds Force, was planning imminent attacks on Americans and had to be stopped.
On the other hand, who cares?
Now that is a red line. American blood.
Authorized 7 months ago? Trump is so rash.
The anti-American press is still splitting hairs over the definition of ‘imminent.’
I wish a drone strike on these propagandists was imminent.
It’s amazing the pretzel logic I’m seeing on this from Lefties.
Hahaha how does a long standing and well founded decision “undermine” anything?
And could they play with the word “imminent” any more recklessly? The guy was killing Americans for years, had just killed one, just attacked our embassy and was planning more attacks.
But the reporters actually want to argue nothing was “imminent” unless the guy was about to stop his car and cap an American on the spot!
Like saying Charles Manson wasn’t planning anything “imminent” when he was arrested.
One condition was likely to avoid collateral killings if possible. Good job!
Ah, come on. This is NBC. You knew a line like that was coming :)
I’m surprised it was that far down the article :)
*** On the other hand, who cares? ***
I care. I don’t like being lied to by my government. I don’t like wars for empire under pretense it is for bringing freedom, liberty, and apple pie to countries that don’t want us there.
I don’t like perpetual wars which we wage for trillions, and the beneficiaries are the MIC, and natural resource thieves.
I care because the person branded the biggest terrorist in the world saved Christians, Druze, Yazidis, and the no friends but the mountains Kurds from ISIS.
There is a reason ISIS magazine ran a cover praising Trump’s killing of Soleimani. They care.
LOL! Your hero, salami, is dead. It makes me happy.
Did he routinely save Christians Druze and Yazidis or was it a one time thing mixed in with his killing and harming of so many others?
and i don’t see any link to evidence your saying that.
“the person branded the biggest terrorist in the world saved Christians, Druze, Yazidis, and the no friends but the mountains Kurds from ISIS.”
Let me help you. Solemani’s mission was to establish & defend the Shia Crescent linking Iran to the eastern Mediterranean via Iraq, Syria & Lebanon. The main opposition were Sunni militias (ISIS/ISIL) as the US destroyed the Sunni-dominated Iraq removing the Iraqi Army from the equation. But the fact that Christians, Druze and Yazidis benefited was happenstance. A by-product of the main effort. What evidence do we have that those minority groups would be allowed to live life unhindered after the Shia Crescent was secured? Looking at the way the Iranian mullahs deal with internal dissent withing Iran proper I would be so optimistic.
WOW, GOOD NEWS COMING FROM NBC.
I’m sure this is meant to be a BAD thing for President Trump, however, I THINK IT IS GREAT...THOUGHTFUL, MEASURED, NOT AT ALL HYSTERICAL LIKE THE LEFT IS, CONSTANTLY.
Our President is to be congratulated for his wisdom and patience.
THERE!! NBC...Nothing But Crap.
The fact is that Soleimani was in the process of directing attacks against the American Embassy in Iraq
You cant get more imminent than that .
That Soleimani was also leading other attacks is immaterial
Fact is he was planning to take over multiple embassy and other American facilities to take hostages to re create the original Iranian hostage crises to get a Democrat elected
The article misses the whole point, which draws on the long history of the Quds Force commanded by Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
His history had already demonstrated grounds for taking him out, even preceding the American deaths in Iraq he was responsible for from 2003 on.
It was only a matter of time before the Mullahs and General Soleimani would cross a red line, again. Iran started acting up, with attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf, attacks on the Saudi Oil fields, increased attacks on U.S. installations by Iranian sponsored militias in Iraq. Finally Soleimani was put on a hit list. When he would cross the next red line was not the issue, only that once he did, again, that was it, NO MATTER WHAT HIS FUTURE ATTACK PLANS WERE.
It was the media that needed an administration “reason certain” regarding what Soleimani “planned to do” but had not done yet. No such reason was necessary. His history already convicted him. Whatever he was going to do next was only a matter of when, not if.
He has planned and executed imminent attacks for decades, what don't they understand?
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