Early Friday morning in Iraq, U.S. forces struck a target at the Baghdad International Airport, killing murderous strongman Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force (or Iran’s “most revered military leader” if you believe the Washington Post). There were a lot of really bad hot-takes on the death of Soleimani, including the aforementioned from the Washington Post, but certainly one of the worst had to be that of “award-winning” BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, who called the action against Soleimani “murder.”
During Thursday night’s live BBC new broadcast the anchor asked if Doucet thought it is “too simple to link the embassy attack we’ve seen over the last few days and that threats that’s come out from Donald Trump after that to the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the others that were killed in these attacks.”
Doucet said she believed there was a link between the attack on the embassy and Trump’s response and the airstrike that killed Soleimani. “It was always seen at a moment where the United States and Iran were very anxious to avoid direct confrontation,” she said. “It was seen that the tensions and the confrontation was more likely to take place in Iraq, where there was a presence of American forces, American targets like the U.S. Embassy and, of course, Iranian-backed militias and Iranian-backed forces inside Iraq.”
“And that is indeed what we have seen happening in recent weeks and certainly in recent days with the unprecedented attacks on the embassy,” Doucet added. The attack on the embassy was not led by protesters who had been taking to the streets in recent months, but “by members of Iranian-linked militias who were angry at American strikes, which killed members of their militia,” she said. The award-winning journalist didn’t mention that the American strike was in retaliation for an attack on a U.S. base in Iraq, which left one American contractor dead and many others wounded.
And Doucet wasn’t finished. “So it has escalated in this way, and I don’t think anyone expected that this would have ended with the murder of Qasam Soleimani and the prominent head of an Iraqi militia at the Baghdad airport.” [Emphasis added]
So let me get this straight. The ruthless Iranian monster-strongman, who has been instrumental in destabilizing the region, organizes a deadly attack on a U.S. base in Iraq and then goes on to organize an actual attack on the U.S. Embassy, is taken out in a surgical strike and the Americans are the bad guy? Give me a break. Democrats and their fellow travelers in the MSM are falling all over themselves trying to blame the escalation of hostilities on Trump and the U.S., ignoring Iran’s part in the conflict. I imagine they’re falling asleep tonight dreaming of pallets of cash being shoveled at the Iranians to calm things down.
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” the Pentagon said in a statement on the attack. “He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel.”
In other words, he was America’s enemy, who arguably declared war on the U.S. when he planned attacks on U.S. forces and our embassy in Iraq.
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation of Defense of Democracies, tweeted that the death of Suleimani, “the most powerful, savvy & effective terrorist on the planet” is “bigger than bin-laden.” And not only 9/11 mastermind Osama bin-Laden:
If it’s true Suleimani is dead, this is bigger than bin-Laden. Bigger than Mugniyeh. Bigger than Baghdadi.
For two decades, Suleimani has been the most powerful, savvy & effective terrorist on the planet. He’s enjoyed full backing of powerful terrorist state.
Irreplaceable.
— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) January 3, 2020
Dubowitz scoffed at those who would downplay the death of Suleimani. “If your view is Suleimani can easily be replaced, you know nothing about how he has completely dominated QF [Qud Force] & IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp] for 20 yrs.,” he tweeted. “Ops, intel, foreign relations, political warfare, strategy. It’s like losing your JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] commander, CIA director & foreign minister — all at once.”
If your view is Suleimani can easily be replaced, you know nothing about how he has completely dominated QF & IRGC for 20 yrs.
Ops, intel, foreign relations, political warfare, strategy.
It’s like losing your JSOC commander, CIA director & foreign minister — all at once.
— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) January 3, 2020
He also suggested that Iranians will be grateful to the U.S. for taking down one of the most dangerous men on the planet.
I imagine lots of Iranians will also wake up in a few hours with smiles on their faces. This is a massive blow to the regime.
And they too will have to brace themselves for what comes next. #IranProtests #FreeIran2020 https://t.co/QXxPIRys1T
— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) January 3, 2020
Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse perhaps said it best: “This is very simple: General Soleimani is dead because he was an evil bastard who murdered Americans. The President made the brave and right call, and Americans should be proud of our service members who got the job done. Tehran is on edge – the mullahs have already slaughtered at least a thousand innocent Iranians – and before they lash out further they should know that the U.S. military can bring any and all of these IRGC butchers to their knees.”
The airstrike in Baghdad won’t be the end of it. While the head may have been cut off of Iran’s terror network, those who remain are likely working overtime to plan how they’ll retaliate for Soleimani’s death. Hot Air’s Allapundit outlined the fallout we could see:
What Trump did here really does risk war in more than one theater, the very thing he’s spent three years trying to avoid. Experts are fretting about possible retaliatory strikes on Israel as soon as this evening. The Saudis will likely be targeted too. American troops in Iraq may get the worst of it. If there are Iranian terror cells operating in the west, which seems likely, some of them may be activated for reprisal strikes closer to home. Trump, the least militarily aggressive president of the past 20 years, surely was briefed on all of this. And now, by targeting Soleimani, he’s risked the most dangerous and unpredictable confrontation in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq. I don’t understand it. If the idea was to show strength and emphasize that the U.S. won’t be pushed around by militia thugs in its own embassies, he made that point in the boldest conceivable way — but now he’s likely to spend the rest of his term managing the fallout. What is he prepared to do if American troops start getting hit all over Baghdad? What is he prepared to do if the Iraqi government, under intense pressure from its Shiite population to respond, demands complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and the embassy is overrun?
Only time will tell. This could get ugly very quickly. In fact, the State Department is already warning Americans to stay away from the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and urging U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately. Americans at home and abroad may very well be at increased risk of a terrorist attack in the coming days and months (and years!). Let’s hope and pray Trump and the Pentagon have a plan to deal with the aftershocks from Suleimani’s death.
Soleimani met his maker tonight at the Baghdad airport — it wasn’t Allah he met and there are no virgins awaiting him in Paradise. He’s in the hands of our just and almighty God now and no doubt rethinking his life choices, thanks to President Trump, the Pentagon leadership, and a stellar performance by U.S armed forces. I’m having a hard time mustering any sympathy for Soleimani, how about you?
Follow me on Twitter @pbolyard.
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