- The Pentagon has confirmed that the US military, acting on the orders of the president, has killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
- Soleimani was reportedly killed in an airstrike. The US said he had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US troops, including a recent rocket attack that killed a US contractor.
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The Department of Defense confirmed Thursday evening that the US military, acting on the orders of President Donald Trump, killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
The news came amid a swirl of reports that the powerful Iranian commander had been killed in an airstrike.
"The US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Pentagon said that Soleimani was planning attacks on US diplomats and service members in Iraq and elsewhere, adding that the hawkish commander and his forces were responsible for "the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more."
In its April 2019 designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including the Quds Force, as a terrorist organization, the Department of State blamed Iranian forces for "the deaths of at least 603 American service members in Iraq since 2003," adding that "this accounts for 17% of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011."
Soleimani, the statement further explained, was responsible for attacks on coalition bases in Iraq in recent months, including the rocket attack on a local base that killed a US civilian contractor and wounded US service members. The general was also blamed for orchestrating the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad.
In a tweet following the attack on the embassy this week, President Trump said that Iran would "pay a very BIG PRICE." He further explained that it was a threat, not a warning.
"This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world," the Pentagon said Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper spoke to reporters about the situation in Iraq and tensions with Iran, saying: "The game has changed. We're prepared to do what is necessary."
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