Qassem Soleimani, top Iranian military commander, killed in U.S. airstrike in Baghdad
The U.S. Defense Department confirmed Soleimani was killed Thursday night in an airstrike in Baghdad. The Pentagon said President Trump ordered the “decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel,” accusing Soleimani of “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the threat to American lives as “imminent” on Twitter Friday morning.
The Defense Department blamed Soleimani for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, and said he was behind recent attacks on coalition bases in Iraq, including one on December 27 that killed an American defense contractor.
Source: CBS News
